We’re beginning to think we are in Texas rather than Arizona, the wind was brutal all day today; the sun was warm but the wind was out of the north so quite cool and boy did it blow! I went over about 4:30 to do laundry and when I came out the wind had died down and it was really nice – now this is more like it!
Today was a non event – I did a major cleaning job as Molly just hasn’t turned up, sure don’t know where that lady is when I want her but she seems to be in hiding!! I wussed out of water aerobics this morning as even though the temperature wasn’t too bad the wind sure made it feel a lot colder – maybe Wednesday!
We had a nice dinner and are now watching them ring in the New Year in other parts of the U.S and Canada.
Happy New Year to all and we wish everyone health and happiness in 2008 and for those of you who are RV’ers we wish you all safe travels, exciting adventures and wonderful new vistas.
Sunday - December 30, 2007
Today was another beautiful sunny day here in Yuma, the temperature is warming up and it was a very pleasant day.
We went golfing this afternoon and it was busier than it has been. There was a foursome in front of us, with three sets of clubs, does that tell you anything! They were as slow as molasses in January, I think they figured they were the only ones on the course. At one point the two women were standing in the middle of the fairway trying to decide who should hit first, I really had to control myself not to yell “will someone just hit the g#@!!!* ball”; then the one woman without clubs was forever sauntering back and forth to her husbands bag to get a club when it was her turn to hit rather than being ready to hit when it was her turn– grrrr! As far as I’m concerned this sort of behaviour on the golf course is inexcusable and these people should be given a lesson in golf etiquette. Okay, that’s my rant for today.
Today I remembered to take my camera and while we were waiting at the second and third tees I managed to get some pictures of the golf course's resident egret, roadrunner and curlews. Last week when we were there the egret had just caught a fish so we got to watch him eat it – it looked pretty gross to me but he sure seemed to enjoy it!
On the way home we stopped at Fry’s and got a steak for dinner tomorrow night and some shrimp and a bottle of Asti to have at midnight (that is if we can stay awake that long!). We came home and put the groceries away and then went to Cracker Barrel for dinner – very good and very reasonably priced.
And so ends another great day, this certainly is a wonderful, fun way to spend retirement!
We went golfing this afternoon and it was busier than it has been. There was a foursome in front of us, with three sets of clubs, does that tell you anything! They were as slow as molasses in January, I think they figured they were the only ones on the course. At one point the two women were standing in the middle of the fairway trying to decide who should hit first, I really had to control myself not to yell “will someone just hit the g#@!!!* ball”; then the one woman without clubs was forever sauntering back and forth to her husbands bag to get a club when it was her turn to hit rather than being ready to hit when it was her turn– grrrr! As far as I’m concerned this sort of behaviour on the golf course is inexcusable and these people should be given a lesson in golf etiquette. Okay, that’s my rant for today.
Today I remembered to take my camera and while we were waiting at the second and third tees I managed to get some pictures of the golf course's resident egret, roadrunner and curlews. Last week when we were there the egret had just caught a fish so we got to watch him eat it – it looked pretty gross to me but he sure seemed to enjoy it!
On the way home we stopped at Fry’s and got a steak for dinner tomorrow night and some shrimp and a bottle of Asti to have at midnight (that is if we can stay awake that long!). We came home and put the groceries away and then went to Cracker Barrel for dinner – very good and very reasonably priced.
And so ends another great day, this certainly is a wonderful, fun way to spend retirement!
Saturday - December 29, 2007
Last night was another cold one, I woke up at 6 this morning to hear the fans running so knew it was cold out. It did turn out to be a nice sunny day and reasonably warm, very enjoyable.
John went out this morning to get propane, a job that turned into an effort in frustration, but he did get it. He went to where we usually go and they were closed so he decided to go to another place where it is cheaper but busier, guess that was the understatement of the day today! He said he waited about 45 minutes to get it but after about 15 minutes he decided he had waited so long by then that he might just as well wait until he got his turn. Anyways, we now have two full tanks again so that should do for a while but with the cool weather the little heater goes a lot, thankfully it is cheaper than either the furnace of an electric heater.
Just before John got back Janet and Heather arrived with a book I wanted to borrow and they had picked me up a top I had asked them to look for if they went to Mexico. They said the wait to come back from Mexico was 2-1/2 hours so we have no intention of heading over there as there is nothing I want badly enough to stand in line for that long to get back!! We don’t understand what the problem here is as I read a couple of blogs and also know people who are in the Rio Grande area of Texas and there is never any mention of lineups to go back and forth there so go figure what the problem here is.
I have wanted to get a Bunn coffee maker for our new place so have been watching prices and saw that Lowe’s internet site had the one I want on sale but as usual I got caught up ordering it over the internet when it came to entering our billing address. Off we went to Lowe’s and they didn’t have it on sale in the store (it was $20 more) but a salesman went on the internet and ordered it for me at the sale price so it should be here in about a week. After that we went and got a sub then a quick stop at Wal Mart as there was something John wanted then home.
Today is the whole family gathering for dinner at our daughter Nancy’s so I am going to give them all a call, we miss being there with everyone but on the other hand the weather here is so much nicer. We will just have to dream about the yummy food we are missing!
John went out this morning to get propane, a job that turned into an effort in frustration, but he did get it. He went to where we usually go and they were closed so he decided to go to another place where it is cheaper but busier, guess that was the understatement of the day today! He said he waited about 45 minutes to get it but after about 15 minutes he decided he had waited so long by then that he might just as well wait until he got his turn. Anyways, we now have two full tanks again so that should do for a while but with the cool weather the little heater goes a lot, thankfully it is cheaper than either the furnace of an electric heater.
Just before John got back Janet and Heather arrived with a book I wanted to borrow and they had picked me up a top I had asked them to look for if they went to Mexico. They said the wait to come back from Mexico was 2-1/2 hours so we have no intention of heading over there as there is nothing I want badly enough to stand in line for that long to get back!! We don’t understand what the problem here is as I read a couple of blogs and also know people who are in the Rio Grande area of Texas and there is never any mention of lineups to go back and forth there so go figure what the problem here is.
I have wanted to get a Bunn coffee maker for our new place so have been watching prices and saw that Lowe’s internet site had the one I want on sale but as usual I got caught up ordering it over the internet when it came to entering our billing address. Off we went to Lowe’s and they didn’t have it on sale in the store (it was $20 more) but a salesman went on the internet and ordered it for me at the sale price so it should be here in about a week. After that we went and got a sub then a quick stop at Wal Mart as there was something John wanted then home.
Today is the whole family gathering for dinner at our daughter Nancy’s so I am going to give them all a call, we miss being there with everyone but on the other hand the weather here is so much nicer. We will just have to dream about the yummy food we are missing!
Friday - December 28, 2007
Today was another cool one, the fans ran all night last night in the orchards so you know it is cold when that happens. They say it is to start warming up again so we have our fingers crossed that they are right.
This afternoon I went for my massage and hopefully it has done some good and got my arm moving, it felt really good and I did enjoy it and know that some of the swelling has gone down – now I can only hope that it lasts. She also gave me some suggestions for things I can do myself so I will also give them a try.
I came back and picked up John then we went off to Wal Mart to pick up a couple of things I forgot yesterday. By the time we got home the afternoon was done – where does the time go!!
Not an exciting day as you can see but enjoyable none the less.
This afternoon I went for my massage and hopefully it has done some good and got my arm moving, it felt really good and I did enjoy it and know that some of the swelling has gone down – now I can only hope that it lasts. She also gave me some suggestions for things I can do myself so I will also give them a try.
I came back and picked up John then we went off to Wal Mart to pick up a couple of things I forgot yesterday. By the time we got home the afternoon was done – where does the time go!!
Not an exciting day as you can see but enjoyable none the less.
Thursday - December 27, 2007
Today was another non pool day – the wind was fierce and out of the north this morning so I wussed out again and didn’t go. I called and got an appointment for a lymph drainage massage tomorrow afternoon so hope it does some good and gets my arm going down.
This morning was mundane chores like cleaning etc. then this afternoon we went to the market and managed to wander around there for a while. From there we found the massage place so I don’t have to spend time looking for it tomorrow (although Alice did a good job of directing us there once she got the hint of which way I wanted to go!). After that we went to the mall and while John was in Circuit City I checked out Bed & Bath but didn’t find any deals, then it was off to Wal Mart to pick up a few groceries.
We got a new neighbour yesterday so met Birdie when we got home, they are from Illinois and are here for three months. We chatted for a bit but then I had to get busy and get the groceries put away, I had a couple of frozen items so figured I’d better get them in the freezer. He got a laugh out of me, within 3 minutes I had said “eh”, guess that is a thing with him when talking to us Canadians to see how long it takes us to say it.
I guess it is time to think about dinner, I don’t imagine it will take long to heat up leftovers!
This morning was mundane chores like cleaning etc. then this afternoon we went to the market and managed to wander around there for a while. From there we found the massage place so I don’t have to spend time looking for it tomorrow (although Alice did a good job of directing us there once she got the hint of which way I wanted to go!). After that we went to the mall and while John was in Circuit City I checked out Bed & Bath but didn’t find any deals, then it was off to Wal Mart to pick up a few groceries.
We got a new neighbour yesterday so met Birdie when we got home, they are from Illinois and are here for three months. We chatted for a bit but then I had to get busy and get the groceries put away, I had a couple of frozen items so figured I’d better get them in the freezer. He got a laugh out of me, within 3 minutes I had said “eh”, guess that is a thing with him when talking to us Canadians to see how long it takes us to say it.
I guess it is time to think about dinner, I don’t imagine it will take long to heat up leftovers!
Wednesday - December 26, 2007
Boxing Day – did everyone get out and take advantage of all the sales? In the states Boxing Day is just another day, it isn’t a holiday and it isn’t a big shopping day, here the day after Thanksgiving replaces our Boxing Day and boy do they have the deals on then.
We had a wonderful Christmas with Janet, Dave & Heather and hopefully everyone found the dinner delicious – we had the traditional turkey dinner with mincemeat pie for dessert – yummy!
Today was a quiet day and we didn’t do anything exciting. We woke up about 6:00 a.m. to hear the wind machines going so knew it was cold, as it turned out the low was 34F (1C) so it was cold! Needless to say I didn’t go to pool aerobics this morning, I talked to a woman this afternoon who said there were 5 in the pool this morning – brave souls!!
We were supposed to go to friends at Desert Paradise this afternoon for a visit but Jim called this morning to say his mom has the flu so needless to say we didn’t go. It is too bad as his mom is here visiting from Calgary and the last thing she would want is to be sick, not a fun way to spend your first time in Arizona and we wish her a speedy recovery.
I called my mom this morning (afternoon for her) and had a chat as yesterday it was hard to talk with everyone there. She enjoyed her Christmas and is looking forward to the whole family get together at our daughter Nancy’s this Saturday. John and I miss the family get togethers and seeing everyone but we sure don’t miss the winter weather!
John started cleaning the fantastic fans yesterday and finished them today, it is nice to see them so clean again. I sat out in the sun this afternoon and read for a while then about 4 went and did laundry, so far I have been lucking out with that time for doing laundry so hope it continues.
John also cleaned out the barbecue today and couldn’t wait to start getting it greased up again so tonight he did burgers for dinner – very good.
We finally caught up with Mike & Marg tonight so had a good chat with them and wish them well with their move next week. And so ends another wonderful day, we will see what tomorrow brings.
We had a wonderful Christmas with Janet, Dave & Heather and hopefully everyone found the dinner delicious – we had the traditional turkey dinner with mincemeat pie for dessert – yummy!
Today was a quiet day and we didn’t do anything exciting. We woke up about 6:00 a.m. to hear the wind machines going so knew it was cold, as it turned out the low was 34F (1C) so it was cold! Needless to say I didn’t go to pool aerobics this morning, I talked to a woman this afternoon who said there were 5 in the pool this morning – brave souls!!
We were supposed to go to friends at Desert Paradise this afternoon for a visit but Jim called this morning to say his mom has the flu so needless to say we didn’t go. It is too bad as his mom is here visiting from Calgary and the last thing she would want is to be sick, not a fun way to spend your first time in Arizona and we wish her a speedy recovery.
I called my mom this morning (afternoon for her) and had a chat as yesterday it was hard to talk with everyone there. She enjoyed her Christmas and is looking forward to the whole family get together at our daughter Nancy’s this Saturday. John and I miss the family get togethers and seeing everyone but we sure don’t miss the winter weather!
John started cleaning the fantastic fans yesterday and finished them today, it is nice to see them so clean again. I sat out in the sun this afternoon and read for a while then about 4 went and did laundry, so far I have been lucking out with that time for doing laundry so hope it continues.
John also cleaned out the barbecue today and couldn’t wait to start getting it greased up again so tonight he did burgers for dinner – very good.
We finally caught up with Mike & Marg tonight so had a good chat with them and wish them well with their move next week. And so ends another wonderful day, we will see what tomorrow brings.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Merry Christmas to everyone and we hope you all have a wonderful day and Santa is good to all.
John and I opened presents this morning, thanks again to everyone for all the gifts, you spoiled us rotten.
We have talked to all our children today, John’s sister and I am now going to call my family who are all together at my brother’s place. It is always nice to talk to everyone and helps when we aren’t there to share Christmas with them.
I am posting this early as I have lots to do today with getting dinner ready and by the time we are done I probably won’t feel like doing a lot. Again we hope Christmas was joyful for all.
John and I opened presents this morning, thanks again to everyone for all the gifts, you spoiled us rotten.
We have talked to all our children today, John’s sister and I am now going to call my family who are all together at my brother’s place. It is always nice to talk to everyone and helps when we aren’t there to share Christmas with them.
I am posting this early as I have lots to do today with getting dinner ready and by the time we are done I probably won’t feel like doing a lot. Again we hope Christmas was joyful for all.
Monday -December 24, 2007
Wow, Christmas Eve Day, where does the time go! This morning was very cool, only 47F (8C) at 9:15 so I decided to be a wussy and forego the pool aerobics. As it turned out it warmed up quite nicely today and was actually another wonderful day here in the south. I have had a couple of bad nights, where I couldn’t sleep, so was feeling quite crappy today so kind of dragged my butt this morning. I spent some time on the computer and did some vacuuming, then after lunch I laid down for a bit and got up feeling much better.
I went for a nice walk this afternoon then came back and sat out on the patio and finished my book and by the time that was done the sun was going down and it was cooling off.
John went out tonight to start the barbecue and called me out to see the moon, it was just coming up in front of the mountains in the distance and was gorgeous. We both took some pictures but I don’t know how they turned out, if there is a good one I will post it.
Today was a nice day for us but my thoughts were with our friends and relatives who have lost loved ones very recently, this must be a very hard time of year for them and my heart aches for them and their families in their loss.
Tonight I “Jingled” a couple of neighbours, I know they won’t be able to reciprocate to anyone else but do hope they enjoyed their goodie bag. We are looking forward to a nice day tomorrow and our Christmas dinner with Janet, Dave & Heather.
I went for a nice walk this afternoon then came back and sat out on the patio and finished my book and by the time that was done the sun was going down and it was cooling off.
John went out tonight to start the barbecue and called me out to see the moon, it was just coming up in front of the mountains in the distance and was gorgeous. We both took some pictures but I don’t know how they turned out, if there is a good one I will post it.
Today was a nice day for us but my thoughts were with our friends and relatives who have lost loved ones very recently, this must be a very hard time of year for them and my heart aches for them and their families in their loss.
Tonight I “Jingled” a couple of neighbours, I know they won’t be able to reciprocate to anyone else but do hope they enjoyed their goodie bag. We are looking forward to a nice day tomorrow and our Christmas dinner with Janet, Dave & Heather.
Sunday - December 23, 2007
We are back to the cooler weather again, today the high was 61F (16C) but it was sunny and still nice enough to golf in short sleeves and a vest. Speaking of golf, my game sucked big time today, don’t know if I’m not playing enough or need to take some time off but something needs to happen to improve it! We played with a couple from Chilliwack this afternoon, they were very nice and not real great golfers so I didn’t feel too bad about my game – sure hate to play a bad game when you are playing with real good golfers!
After golf we stopped at Fry’s and picked up a few groceries so I think I am all set for Christmas dinner now. When we got home we called our daughters, they and their families were having their Christmas get together today so it was nice to talk to both of them as well as our son-in-laws. Wish we were there with them but when we hear about all the snow, then today it was raining, we are thankful we are down here where it is warmer and NO SNOW OR RAIN!!
After talking to them we went to Circuit City to pick up a router for the computers then to Red Lobster for dinner – yummy!! Now John is trying to get the router all set up so we both can use the high speed internet, we have a wireless router but they don’t want you using them in the park as it interferes with their system so John saw one on sale that wasn’t wireless so decided to pop for it. Thank goodness he knows what he is doing because I wouldn’t have a clue what to do to set up something like that, guess you have to be a bit of a techno weenie!
When we got home there was a Christmas gift bag on the doorstep, it had some candy in it and a “Jingle” and you are supposed to keep the “Jingle” on the front door, make two copies of it and two treat bags and deliver them to someone who doesn’t have a “Jingle” on their front door. Guess that will give me something to do tomorrow, I will go down to the office and see if I can get them to make me the copies rather than having to drag the printer out from under the bed.
All is now set up for both of us to use the high speed internet and it seems to be working well so here’s hoping. I will get this posted now, kind of late tonight but at least it’s done.
After golf we stopped at Fry’s and picked up a few groceries so I think I am all set for Christmas dinner now. When we got home we called our daughters, they and their families were having their Christmas get together today so it was nice to talk to both of them as well as our son-in-laws. Wish we were there with them but when we hear about all the snow, then today it was raining, we are thankful we are down here where it is warmer and NO SNOW OR RAIN!!
After talking to them we went to Circuit City to pick up a router for the computers then to Red Lobster for dinner – yummy!! Now John is trying to get the router all set up so we both can use the high speed internet, we have a wireless router but they don’t want you using them in the park as it interferes with their system so John saw one on sale that wasn’t wireless so decided to pop for it. Thank goodness he knows what he is doing because I wouldn’t have a clue what to do to set up something like that, guess you have to be a bit of a techno weenie!
When we got home there was a Christmas gift bag on the doorstep, it had some candy in it and a “Jingle” and you are supposed to keep the “Jingle” on the front door, make two copies of it and two treat bags and deliver them to someone who doesn’t have a “Jingle” on their front door. Guess that will give me something to do tomorrow, I will go down to the office and see if I can get them to make me the copies rather than having to drag the printer out from under the bed.
All is now set up for both of us to use the high speed internet and it seems to be working well so here’s hoping. I will get this posted now, kind of late tonight but at least it’s done.
Saturday - December 22, 2007
Today was another sunny but cool day, we’re not complaining though as the sun is shining and that is better than having rain or snow!
John went out this morning to get propane and a board to put the satellite dish on, he had it on a fence post and the post has all bent so he decided to do the board again, now he is just trying to get it re set up. While he was out I puttered around some and then called my mom, I lucked out as my sister was there so had a good chat with her also.
This afternoon we went to the market, I took a pile of books back and got a credit for them towards some new ones, that is a better deal than just buying them and then putting them in the library after I read them. I also picked up a new sweatshirt and short sleeved top, I had sorted through my tops and found a few that were ready either for the garbage or goodwill so thought I would replace them with new ones so that should do me for a while. They are so cheap down here that I can afford to buy a few and for some strange reason the cotton here is so much better than at home – go figure.
We met Sonia and Jim and Jim’s mother at the market, his mother is down visiting for about 10 days so we had a bit of a chat with them. They have invited us over next Wednesday afternoon for a visit so we will have more of a chance to talk with them there than at the market.
As you can see today wasn’t a real exciting day but as usual it was a nice one, now it’s time to think about dinner and then tonight I plan on starting one of my new books.
John went out this morning to get propane and a board to put the satellite dish on, he had it on a fence post and the post has all bent so he decided to do the board again, now he is just trying to get it re set up. While he was out I puttered around some and then called my mom, I lucked out as my sister was there so had a good chat with her also.
This afternoon we went to the market, I took a pile of books back and got a credit for them towards some new ones, that is a better deal than just buying them and then putting them in the library after I read them. I also picked up a new sweatshirt and short sleeved top, I had sorted through my tops and found a few that were ready either for the garbage or goodwill so thought I would replace them with new ones so that should do me for a while. They are so cheap down here that I can afford to buy a few and for some strange reason the cotton here is so much better than at home – go figure.
We met Sonia and Jim and Jim’s mother at the market, his mother is down visiting for about 10 days so we had a bit of a chat with them. They have invited us over next Wednesday afternoon for a visit so we will have more of a chance to talk with them there than at the market.
As you can see today wasn’t a real exciting day but as usual it was a nice one, now it’s time to think about dinner and then tonight I plan on starting one of my new books.
Friday - December 21, 2007
Well, there are lots of happy people today, those who are through school or work for the holidays, hope you all enjoy them.
We were supposed to get high winds during the night but it was quite calm when we got up but just as I was heading for the pool the wind finally started to blow, needless to say it was quite cool at the pool if you didn’t stay well down in the water – the hot tub sure felt good after!
This afternoon I headed out to get my hair cut then wanted to go to J. C. Penney’s to get another electric blanket while they are still on sale, or so I thought. I fought lots of traffic to get to the mall, only to find out that the sale has now changed, the other day they were on for half price and today they are buy one at the regular price and get a second one for $1.00 more. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the bill for the one I bought on Monday to see if I could get today’s deal, so after looking around a bit I left empty handed and headed for Sears to see if they were on sale there. Now, to make a left turn to get to the road out of the mall I would have either have had to take my life in my hands or wait for hours, so I decided to go right and take the long way, a good move as the traffic wasn’t too bad once I got out of the mall. Needless to say I was really muttering under my breath at Penney’s as on Monday it said the sale was on till the 22nd so that was why I even bothered to go today. The blanket we bought really works good so we wanted to get another one to take home for our new park model.
Sears had the blankets on for half price so I was happy again and after buying one I wandered around the store for a bit then headed across the road to Beall’s outlet. I found a pair of capris and a top at Beall’s so again was happy and ready to head home. I took a different way home, figured it would be faster as long as it didn’t end up in a dead end in the Marine Air Force Base, but I lucked out and it went where I thought it would.
Today I was having trouble with my computer, it was really slow and driving me crazy so John said he would look at it while I was out. When I got back he said the problem was that I didn’t have enough memory (boy, me and my computer have the same problem!) so he put his memory card in my computer and it worked fine, turns out that installing the new Leopard used up most of my memory. John had gone on the internet and found Best Buy had 1G of memory for $29, regularly $104 so he ordered two and was waiting for me to come home so he could go to Best Buy and pick them up. Now my computer is working great and I am a happy camper. Now, I just wish there was an easy fix for my own memory.
Well, I have a good book waiting so will get this posted and then read for a bit. The wind seems to have died down again so tomorrow should be a nice day.
We were supposed to get high winds during the night but it was quite calm when we got up but just as I was heading for the pool the wind finally started to blow, needless to say it was quite cool at the pool if you didn’t stay well down in the water – the hot tub sure felt good after!
This afternoon I headed out to get my hair cut then wanted to go to J. C. Penney’s to get another electric blanket while they are still on sale, or so I thought. I fought lots of traffic to get to the mall, only to find out that the sale has now changed, the other day they were on for half price and today they are buy one at the regular price and get a second one for $1.00 more. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the bill for the one I bought on Monday to see if I could get today’s deal, so after looking around a bit I left empty handed and headed for Sears to see if they were on sale there. Now, to make a left turn to get to the road out of the mall I would have either have had to take my life in my hands or wait for hours, so I decided to go right and take the long way, a good move as the traffic wasn’t too bad once I got out of the mall. Needless to say I was really muttering under my breath at Penney’s as on Monday it said the sale was on till the 22nd so that was why I even bothered to go today. The blanket we bought really works good so we wanted to get another one to take home for our new park model.
Sears had the blankets on for half price so I was happy again and after buying one I wandered around the store for a bit then headed across the road to Beall’s outlet. I found a pair of capris and a top at Beall’s so again was happy and ready to head home. I took a different way home, figured it would be faster as long as it didn’t end up in a dead end in the Marine Air Force Base, but I lucked out and it went where I thought it would.
Today I was having trouble with my computer, it was really slow and driving me crazy so John said he would look at it while I was out. When I got back he said the problem was that I didn’t have enough memory (boy, me and my computer have the same problem!) so he put his memory card in my computer and it worked fine, turns out that installing the new Leopard used up most of my memory. John had gone on the internet and found Best Buy had 1G of memory for $29, regularly $104 so he ordered two and was waiting for me to come home so he could go to Best Buy and pick them up. Now my computer is working great and I am a happy camper. Now, I just wish there was an easy fix for my own memory.
Well, I have a good book waiting so will get this posted and then read for a bit. The wind seems to have died down again so tomorrow should be a nice day.
Thursday - December 20, 2007
Today was another gorgeous day but tomorrow it is supposed to change – high winds and cooler so we will see what happens.
John spent a lot of the day cleaning the trailer and truck –we are now nice and clean again as I spent time doing the inside while he was doing the outside. I had a lot of e-mail this morning (love it) so spent a fair bit of time replying. Around 4 John rode his bike over to the laundry and came back and said it was quiet so off I went to get that job over with. Yesterday in the pool everyone was saying how busy the laundry is but I didn’t tell them that I have found meal times for normal people a good time to go, I’d hate to find it really busy then as a result of telling everyone what a good time to go it is! Just as I was folding the laundry a woman came in and said what a beautiful sunset there was so I grabbed my camera out of the truck and took some pictures, a couple of which I will post.
We got a lovely cd from our daughter by David Francy, I have never heard of him before but we did enjoy it – thanks Kel.
That’s it for another day, nothing exciting but a very nice one none the less.
John spent a lot of the day cleaning the trailer and truck –we are now nice and clean again as I spent time doing the inside while he was doing the outside. I had a lot of e-mail this morning (love it) so spent a fair bit of time replying. Around 4 John rode his bike over to the laundry and came back and said it was quiet so off I went to get that job over with. Yesterday in the pool everyone was saying how busy the laundry is but I didn’t tell them that I have found meal times for normal people a good time to go, I’d hate to find it really busy then as a result of telling everyone what a good time to go it is! Just as I was folding the laundry a woman came in and said what a beautiful sunset there was so I grabbed my camera out of the truck and took some pictures, a couple of which I will post.
We got a lovely cd from our daughter by David Francy, I have never heard of him before but we did enjoy it – thanks Kel.
That’s it for another day, nothing exciting but a very nice one none the less.
Wednesday - December 19, 2007
Today was another gorgeous day, the temperatures are just perfect as far as I’m concerned – hot but not too hot. This morning I got another good workout at pool aerobics, I do enjoy them and find them less stressful on the joints than regular aerobics.
I had an e-mail from my sister on Monday that one of our cousin’s 63 year old husband died suddenly on Monday morning, then this morning I had an e-mail from a friend that one of our former co-worker’s wife was killed last night while crossing a county road after her grandson’s school concert – both very sad and upsetting, our thoughts are with both of their families at this difficult time. It certainly points out how fragile life can be.
This afternoon we went down to the mall as I wanted to go to J. C. Penney’s but when we got there it was closed and all taped off with yellow tape, it appeared that perhaps they were having electrical problems. I went to a couple of other stores but didn’t buy anything other than a couple of sympathy cards – last of the big time spenders!
And again another day is gone, I don’t know where the time goes but it does seem to fly by. It is time, and past, to think about dinner but it will be quick to get on the table, I just have to heat up leftovers!
I had an e-mail from my sister on Monday that one of our cousin’s 63 year old husband died suddenly on Monday morning, then this morning I had an e-mail from a friend that one of our former co-worker’s wife was killed last night while crossing a county road after her grandson’s school concert – both very sad and upsetting, our thoughts are with both of their families at this difficult time. It certainly points out how fragile life can be.
This afternoon we went down to the mall as I wanted to go to J. C. Penney’s but when we got there it was closed and all taped off with yellow tape, it appeared that perhaps they were having electrical problems. I went to a couple of other stores but didn’t buy anything other than a couple of sympathy cards – last of the big time spenders!
And again another day is gone, I don’t know where the time goes but it does seem to fly by. It is time, and past, to think about dinner but it will be quick to get on the table, I just have to heat up leftovers!
Tuesday -December 18, 2007
Today was an absolutely gorgeous day, it was very warm golfing which felt so good. Today was another fun day, I was paired with another gal and we were the last ones out and only the two of us so we had a good time and lots of chatting, our score wasn’t great but as we said we were out for the fun. In fact we won ice cream so I gave my ticket to her husband.
On the way home we made a couple of stops so by the time we got home it was after 3. We received our new Mac operating system update this morning so I updated my computer before dinner and John is doing his now, it has some neat features so should be interesting to use. Not a very exciting day but a nice one as usual.
On the way home we made a couple of stops so by the time we got home it was after 3. We received our new Mac operating system update this morning so I updated my computer before dinner and John is doing his now, it has some neat features so should be interesting to use. Not a very exciting day but a nice one as usual.
Monday -December 17, 2007
This morning I decided that I had done the wussy bit for long enough so off to the pool I went for water aerobics. It was not too bad and I stayed on the sunny side of the pool so that made it a bit more pleasant. I quite enjoyed the exercise and was glad I had gone, now hopefully the weather will cooperate and not be too unpleasant in the morning. Today there was no wind and that makes a big difference.
This afternoon we went out for fuel and propane, yesterday I got the address and zip code of Superfuels from Janet & Dave (the cheapest diesel & propane in Yuma) so I programmed it into Alice to try to find where this cheap place is. The first problem was that the street number Janet gave me wasn’t recognized by Alice, oh well, I figured if I put in a false one that falls into her range it should be close enough. Well, it took us to a dead end street but fortunately I could see the gas station across a field, so we finally did get there and got fuel and propane.
From there we went to J. C. Penney, I had seen on the internet that they had electric blankets on for ½ price so it seemed like a good time to get a new one. The one we have now is fine on John’s side but the contact on my side is so loose that it keeps coming apart on me and then of course it doesn’t work. I will put the new one on tomorrow morning and hopefully it will end my frustration with the one we have. From there it was to Wal Mart and Fry’s to get groceries, I got a turkey today so had a great time trying to fit it into the freezer when we got home, but I did manage to get it in. Fry’s had butter for $0.99/lb with a limit of 2 per person so I got 2 and tomorrow I will probably stop and pick up a couple more as you sure can’t go wrong at that price. Once the turkey comes out of the freezer the butter can go in!
I put a roast in the slow cooker this morning and it is smelling yummy, time to eat and then have a quiet evening.
I am sure tomorrow will be another wonderful day, and we are just so thankful we are here in the sunny, warm south and not back in Ontario dealing with all the snow and cold!!
This afternoon we went out for fuel and propane, yesterday I got the address and zip code of Superfuels from Janet & Dave (the cheapest diesel & propane in Yuma) so I programmed it into Alice to try to find where this cheap place is. The first problem was that the street number Janet gave me wasn’t recognized by Alice, oh well, I figured if I put in a false one that falls into her range it should be close enough. Well, it took us to a dead end street but fortunately I could see the gas station across a field, so we finally did get there and got fuel and propane.
From there we went to J. C. Penney, I had seen on the internet that they had electric blankets on for ½ price so it seemed like a good time to get a new one. The one we have now is fine on John’s side but the contact on my side is so loose that it keeps coming apart on me and then of course it doesn’t work. I will put the new one on tomorrow morning and hopefully it will end my frustration with the one we have. From there it was to Wal Mart and Fry’s to get groceries, I got a turkey today so had a great time trying to fit it into the freezer when we got home, but I did manage to get it in. Fry’s had butter for $0.99/lb with a limit of 2 per person so I got 2 and tomorrow I will probably stop and pick up a couple more as you sure can’t go wrong at that price. Once the turkey comes out of the freezer the butter can go in!
I put a roast in the slow cooker this morning and it is smelling yummy, time to eat and then have a quiet evening.
I am sure tomorrow will be another wonderful day, and we are just so thankful we are here in the sunny, warm south and not back in Ontario dealing with all the snow and cold!!
Sunday - December 16, 2007
I guess we are getting the effects of all the cold fronts going through the rest of the states and Canada as it wasn’t overly warm again today. Kel sent me a couple of pictures taken off their deck this morning and believe me, after seeing them I am not complaining about it being a bit cool here!
This afternoon we had a good game of golf with Janet & Dave, although none of us had stellar games we enjoyed it so that is the main thing. After golf we headed to the Red Lobster for dinner, we thought we would try the new one at Yuma Palms Plaza, but when we got there we found out it isn’t open yet – guess that was out. We said to Janet & Dave we didn’t care whether we went to the other Red Lobster or the Texas Roadhouse, lead the way, so we ended up at the Roadhouse. We all had ribs and they were delicious, the meat fell off the bones.
This park is surrounded by fruit orchards and the last two nights they have had windmills going during the night to keep the frost from hitting the trees. The windmills are quite noisy, but not bad enough to keep us awake, they seem to go from about 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. I don’t think it is supposed to be as cold tonight so they probably won’t be running. Janet and Dave were complaining about the explosions that go off at their park, these are supposed to keep the birds from eating the new vegetation, and they start early in the morning and are very noisy so the windmills are far better to listen to.
Well, another wonderful day has come to an end and we look forward to a great day tomorrow.
This afternoon we had a good game of golf with Janet & Dave, although none of us had stellar games we enjoyed it so that is the main thing. After golf we headed to the Red Lobster for dinner, we thought we would try the new one at Yuma Palms Plaza, but when we got there we found out it isn’t open yet – guess that was out. We said to Janet & Dave we didn’t care whether we went to the other Red Lobster or the Texas Roadhouse, lead the way, so we ended up at the Roadhouse. We all had ribs and they were delicious, the meat fell off the bones.
This park is surrounded by fruit orchards and the last two nights they have had windmills going during the night to keep the frost from hitting the trees. The windmills are quite noisy, but not bad enough to keep us awake, they seem to go from about 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. I don’t think it is supposed to be as cold tonight so they probably won’t be running. Janet and Dave were complaining about the explosions that go off at their park, these are supposed to keep the birds from eating the new vegetation, and they start early in the morning and are very noisy so the windmills are far better to listen to.
Well, another wonderful day has come to an end and we look forward to a great day tomorrow.
Saturday - December 15, 2007
Today was a quiet day, we had no plans and decided to just take it easy. My PD has been giving me some trouble and is not keeping a charge like it should so I am afraid it will just pack it in one day. I have been looking at them on the web but there have been no deals, then today when I was surfing I decided to check them again and lo and behold Staples had them for $100 off but they were out of stock. I then checked Best Buy and they had it at the same price, but on back order so I decided to order it and wait for them to come in. As usual I ran into a problem with the visa card and Canadian address so called the 800 number and after much waiting I finally got through and the woman said no problem she would process it for me – great. I said I would pick it up here at the store and she said it would be 3 – 4 weeks. I got a confirmation number so I could track it and then when we were finished I got an e-mail confirming the order.
About 5 minutes later I got another e-mail saying that it was in the store and ready for delivery – what is this!! I checked it through the web tracking and it said the same thing, in the store ready for pick up. I wanted to do a load of laundry so went over and did it then off we went to Best Buy, with John fully convinced it was all a mistake, but when we got there they handed it to me. It turns out they carry them in the store but I had never found them as they had them buried in office supplies (not exactly where I would look) and there was at least one in stock.
When we got home I put it on charge and now it is fully operational and I am one happy camper!!
John ordered something from Apple and we fully expected it to be delivered today but he kept checking and it was still on the truck. Finally about 7 he got the message that the address was undeliverable – what? He called Fed Ex and somehow the site number here didn’t get put on the shipping slip so that caused them to say undeliverable. Anyways, he got it straightened out and now it will be Tuesday before it is delivered – he isn’t happy and I was glad that I had said I would pick up the PD at the store rather than having it delivered.
The weather here was cool today but it sure beats home where they are expecting a very severe storm, one of the papers said the biggest storm in 10 years. I said to my daughter Kel today that maybe this is one of those that they predict but it doesn’t happen and she said that this year so far they have been pretty accurate so she isn’t going to hold her breath hoping they’re wrong. Our son-in-laws are happy to see the snow as one wants to snowmobile and the other wants the cold to stay for when ice fishing season opens. Our son is also a snowmobiler so he also won’t be complaining. All I can say is that we are glad we are here and not there!
About 5 minutes later I got another e-mail saying that it was in the store and ready for delivery – what is this!! I checked it through the web tracking and it said the same thing, in the store ready for pick up. I wanted to do a load of laundry so went over and did it then off we went to Best Buy, with John fully convinced it was all a mistake, but when we got there they handed it to me. It turns out they carry them in the store but I had never found them as they had them buried in office supplies (not exactly where I would look) and there was at least one in stock.
When we got home I put it on charge and now it is fully operational and I am one happy camper!!
John ordered something from Apple and we fully expected it to be delivered today but he kept checking and it was still on the truck. Finally about 7 he got the message that the address was undeliverable – what? He called Fed Ex and somehow the site number here didn’t get put on the shipping slip so that caused them to say undeliverable. Anyways, he got it straightened out and now it will be Tuesday before it is delivered – he isn’t happy and I was glad that I had said I would pick up the PD at the store rather than having it delivered.
The weather here was cool today but it sure beats home where they are expecting a very severe storm, one of the papers said the biggest storm in 10 years. I said to my daughter Kel today that maybe this is one of those that they predict but it doesn’t happen and she said that this year so far they have been pretty accurate so she isn’t going to hold her breath hoping they’re wrong. Our son-in-laws are happy to see the snow as one wants to snowmobile and the other wants the cold to stay for when ice fishing season opens. Our son is also a snowmobiler so he also won’t be complaining. All I can say is that we are glad we are here and not there!
Friday - December 14, 2007
Boy, what an early start to the day we had today, we met Jim and Sonia at the golf course at 7:40 a.m. The temperature was only in the high 30’s (F) and there was FROST on the grass for the first couple of holes – holy cow! I started out wearing a sweatshirt, vest and jacket but after about the 2nd hole the jacket came off, then a bit later the vest came off. I was sort of wishing I had worn a short sleeved top but at least the sweatshirt was fairly light so I wasn’t uncomfortable. They were all laughing at me with my golf sandals on but my feet weren’t cold and they have thick enough soles that they didn’t get wet from the frost either.
The deal was dine and nine so after our game we went in for breakfast and they had a buffet with muffins, bagels, biscuits etc. fresh fruit, juice, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, home fries, coffee etc. We enjoyed the breakfast and sat and gabbed for a long time, then got to the truck and talked again for a long time so it was almost 2 when we got home.
My back was killing me so I layed down for ½ hour then had my shower and we went out to get propane. We ended up at the golf store and John bought me a new golf bag for Christmas so by the time we got to the propane place they were closed. Hopefully they will be open tomorrow but if not we can wait until Monday. When we got back we got my clubs and stuff moved to the new bag and got it set up on my cart, now I’m good to go and looking forward to trying it out on Sunday. Oh yes, tomorrow I will have to clean my clubs so they look good with the new bag!!
Somehow I think that after being up so early this morning tonight will be an early night!
The deal was dine and nine so after our game we went in for breakfast and they had a buffet with muffins, bagels, biscuits etc. fresh fruit, juice, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, home fries, coffee etc. We enjoyed the breakfast and sat and gabbed for a long time, then got to the truck and talked again for a long time so it was almost 2 when we got home.
My back was killing me so I layed down for ½ hour then had my shower and we went out to get propane. We ended up at the golf store and John bought me a new golf bag for Christmas so by the time we got to the propane place they were closed. Hopefully they will be open tomorrow but if not we can wait until Monday. When we got back we got my clubs and stuff moved to the new bag and got it set up on my cart, now I’m good to go and looking forward to trying it out on Sunday. Oh yes, tomorrow I will have to clean my clubs so they look good with the new bag!!
Somehow I think that after being up so early this morning tonight will be an early night!
Thursday - December 13, 2007
Today was an unexciting day, very quiet. This morning I reserved a tee time for Sunday afternoon after which we will go to Red Lobster for dinner. I also reserved four seats on a bus tour to the San Diego Zoo on January 30th, we thought this might be a fun day. When I called Janet & Dave to tell them Sunday’s tee time and that I had got the zoo tour booked, I said we must be crazy, John and I will be picked up at the Sears mall at 6:30 a.m., I don’t know where they will be picked up as there is probably something closer to their park than Sears. The bus doesn’t get back until between 10-11 p.m. so it will be a long day. The SD zoo is supposed to be one of the best in the world so it should be interesting.
This afternoon we went to the Arizona Market and John got some blue rope lights to put around our patio and I got a nice stoned washed sweatshirt and another top so should be good for a while. One of the sweatshirts I bought last year is looking pretty ratty as I have worn it a lot so I decided to splurge on a new one. I also picked up a couple of books (they are all $2 at the market and they have a swap so I can take them back and get more) so that will keep me busy for a couple of days.
At the market a lady came up and asked me about my pressure sleeve, she said she had had a stroke and her arm and the whole side of her body is swollen. I said mine was from surgery for breast cancer and she said she had had that a year before her stroke but never thought of that causing her swelling. I told her that this is a well known side effect and she wanted to know where she could look into getting a sleeve so I suggested that when she gets home she contact her cancer centre and see if they can point her in the right direction to getting one. When I was doing laundry I looked in the phone book and there are three places in Yuma which advertise lymph drain massages so I will call them and see if I can get one or two as my arm has been a bit more swollen than usual since we got here, the altitude at Albuquerque and Williams did it and I can’t seem to get it back down so hopefully a couple of massages will help.
When we came back I went and did laundry and John put the rope lights around the patio and reversed the Santa Claus and Candy Cane lights on the front of the trailer as he had the good side facing in. Now we are as decorated as we are going to get for Christmas.
I started one of my new books while waiting for the laundry so guess I will be reading tonight.
This afternoon we went to the Arizona Market and John got some blue rope lights to put around our patio and I got a nice stoned washed sweatshirt and another top so should be good for a while. One of the sweatshirts I bought last year is looking pretty ratty as I have worn it a lot so I decided to splurge on a new one. I also picked up a couple of books (they are all $2 at the market and they have a swap so I can take them back and get more) so that will keep me busy for a couple of days.
At the market a lady came up and asked me about my pressure sleeve, she said she had had a stroke and her arm and the whole side of her body is swollen. I said mine was from surgery for breast cancer and she said she had had that a year before her stroke but never thought of that causing her swelling. I told her that this is a well known side effect and she wanted to know where she could look into getting a sleeve so I suggested that when she gets home she contact her cancer centre and see if they can point her in the right direction to getting one. When I was doing laundry I looked in the phone book and there are three places in Yuma which advertise lymph drain massages so I will call them and see if I can get one or two as my arm has been a bit more swollen than usual since we got here, the altitude at Albuquerque and Williams did it and I can’t seem to get it back down so hopefully a couple of massages will help.
When we came back I went and did laundry and John put the rope lights around the patio and reversed the Santa Claus and Candy Cane lights on the front of the trailer as he had the good side facing in. Now we are as decorated as we are going to get for Christmas.
I started one of my new books while waiting for the laundry so guess I will be reading tonight.
Wednesday - December 12, 2007
Today was bright and sunny but COOL, at 9:30 when it was time to go to water aerobics it was only 48F (9C) so needless to say I didn’t go – I like the exercise but I’m not crazy!
We had a quiet day, did some cleaning and just odds and ends. Janet and Dave arrived about 5 so we had a great visit and a good dinner, it’s always amazing the topics we can cover in a visit and there is always a few good laughs. We are hoping to golf and then go out for dinner again on Sunday so I will call first thing tomorrow morning for a tee time, their daughter arrives late Sunday night for a visit so this will be our last Sunday golf with them for a couple of weeks.
I want to get this done and posted so it is going to be short for today.
We had a quiet day, did some cleaning and just odds and ends. Janet and Dave arrived about 5 so we had a great visit and a good dinner, it’s always amazing the topics we can cover in a visit and there is always a few good laughs. We are hoping to golf and then go out for dinner again on Sunday so I will call first thing tomorrow morning for a tee time, their daughter arrives late Sunday night for a visit so this will be our last Sunday golf with them for a couple of weeks.
I want to get this done and posted so it is going to be short for today.
This morning it was quite overcast and cold and when we headed out for golf at 10:30 it was still pretty well overcast and the temperature was 50F (10C), but being the optimists that we are we wore shore sleeve shirts and our vests.
I don’t know how we manage to do this but it is fairly common, I drew an Ace so was in the first foursome off and John drew a 7 so was in the last group, makes for lots of waiting. By the time I hit the third fairway I had my vest off and was enjoying the sun so I was really glad I hadn’t worn a sweatshirt. My partner and I played pretty good, we were tied with another pair for second and third place so I told Jim he could do the putt off and he lost so we got third prize - $3.50 each!! They always have a hole where the closest to the hole wins a prize - $1.00 and I almost won. I had the money in my pocket when a woman on the last team (the one John was on) said she had been closest to the hole so I gave her the $1.00, they hadn’t marked it on their scorecard so Jim had thought I had won. Oh well, I didn’t know how I was going to spend the $1 so that saved me a real problem (hah, hah!).
On the way home we stopped at Fry’s for groceries, then Lowe’s and Wal Mart looking for Christmas decorations and blue rope lights. We got a lighted holly for the window but the rope lights are being elusive, we saw some at the market last week so will go back there on Thursday and check them out.
John is washing the truck, it has been driving him crazy to look at it since it rained and got it all dirty, so he will be happy to have that done. I thought I would get this done and posted so it is off my mind and tonight I can just relax with a book or watch TV if there is anything worthwhile on.
I don’t know how we manage to do this but it is fairly common, I drew an Ace so was in the first foursome off and John drew a 7 so was in the last group, makes for lots of waiting. By the time I hit the third fairway I had my vest off and was enjoying the sun so I was really glad I hadn’t worn a sweatshirt. My partner and I played pretty good, we were tied with another pair for second and third place so I told Jim he could do the putt off and he lost so we got third prize - $3.50 each!! They always have a hole where the closest to the hole wins a prize - $1.00 and I almost won. I had the money in my pocket when a woman on the last team (the one John was on) said she had been closest to the hole so I gave her the $1.00, they hadn’t marked it on their scorecard so Jim had thought I had won. Oh well, I didn’t know how I was going to spend the $1 so that saved me a real problem (hah, hah!).
On the way home we stopped at Fry’s for groceries, then Lowe’s and Wal Mart looking for Christmas decorations and blue rope lights. We got a lighted holly for the window but the rope lights are being elusive, we saw some at the market last week so will go back there on Thursday and check them out.
John is washing the truck, it has been driving him crazy to look at it since it rained and got it all dirty, so he will be happy to have that done. I thought I would get this done and posted so it is off my mind and tonight I can just relax with a book or watch TV if there is anything worthwhile on.
Monday -December 10, 2007
Wow, we are into another cold snap, this morning when it was time to go to pool aerobics the temperature was below 50F (10C) so I decided that I would pass, my cold is pretty well cleared up but I am still a bit stuffy so there is no point in taking a chance and getting miserable again.
The park has free internet and the signal strength is good but it is getting slower as the park gets busier so we decided to get the internet through Time Warner, the cable people. A couple here have it and Dave and Janet just got it this week and they say it is great and really fast and right now TW have a special on so it seemed like a good time to go for it. Off we went this afternoon and when we left Time Warner we were completely dumbfounded, we went in and told the gal what park we were at and our site number and without hesitation she signed us up, gave us a modem and all the cable and said the first invoice would be out within a week – we walked out of there with all the hardware and without paying a cent or leaving a credit card number!! Somehow I don’t think this would ever happen at home! Even better, there is no setup fee and no tax on the monthly rental.
On the way home we stopped at Home Depot and got an outside timer for our lights and then went to the Post Office and got some stamps – real exciting.
When we got back John got the new internet set up on my computer, now we need a router so that we can both use it, but right now I am using the new one and John is using the park internet on his computer. The park doesn’t want us to use wireless routers (we have one) so we are trying to find a cheap one that isn’t wireless. We had trouble setting up the e-mail account so a phone call later to the help line and it is set up (the girl who signed us up didn’t give us the e-mail address and password when we were there) on my apple mail so that I don’t have to go to the web mail now to send e-mail. Sound confusing? Not really but e-mail will now be much easier to send.
By the time this was all done it was dinner time so we are now in relaxing mode, a bit of TV or reading before calling it a day.
The park has free internet and the signal strength is good but it is getting slower as the park gets busier so we decided to get the internet through Time Warner, the cable people. A couple here have it and Dave and Janet just got it this week and they say it is great and really fast and right now TW have a special on so it seemed like a good time to go for it. Off we went this afternoon and when we left Time Warner we were completely dumbfounded, we went in and told the gal what park we were at and our site number and without hesitation she signed us up, gave us a modem and all the cable and said the first invoice would be out within a week – we walked out of there with all the hardware and without paying a cent or leaving a credit card number!! Somehow I don’t think this would ever happen at home! Even better, there is no setup fee and no tax on the monthly rental.
On the way home we stopped at Home Depot and got an outside timer for our lights and then went to the Post Office and got some stamps – real exciting.
When we got back John got the new internet set up on my computer, now we need a router so that we can both use it, but right now I am using the new one and John is using the park internet on his computer. The park doesn’t want us to use wireless routers (we have one) so we are trying to find a cheap one that isn’t wireless. We had trouble setting up the e-mail account so a phone call later to the help line and it is set up (the girl who signed us up didn’t give us the e-mail address and password when we were there) on my apple mail so that I don’t have to go to the web mail now to send e-mail. Sound confusing? Not really but e-mail will now be much easier to send.
By the time this was all done it was dinner time so we are now in relaxing mode, a bit of TV or reading before calling it a day.
Sunday - December 9, 2007
This morning we woke up to a lot of cloud and quite cool, it got up to about 55F (13C) by mid afternoon which is not really warm. It rained early this afternoon so we tried calling Janet & Dave to see if they still wanted to golf but there was no answer so we headed for the golf course. They pulled in right after us and said what’s a bit of rain, we golf in the rain at home all the time so off we went. We had the course to ourselves, everyone else had cancelled, and as it turned out it only sprinkled for a minute and the sun came out about half way through, so we ended up having a good afternoon and a good game.
We came back here for a drink then went to Dave’s Bar-B-Que for dinner. We ended up ordering the Feast for 4 and it was really good – chicken, ribs, sausage, fries, coleslaw, corn on the cob and corn muffins. There was lots of food so Dave & Janet took home the leftovers and we said we would take them next time. On the way home we stopped at Wal Mart to see if we could get a timer for the outdoor lights but they didn’t have any so tomorrow we will try Lowe’s.
It’s now time to wind down and watch a bit of TV before going to bed, and so goes another day in this wonderful retirement life.
We came back here for a drink then went to Dave’s Bar-B-Que for dinner. We ended up ordering the Feast for 4 and it was really good – chicken, ribs, sausage, fries, coleslaw, corn on the cob and corn muffins. There was lots of food so Dave & Janet took home the leftovers and we said we would take them next time. On the way home we stopped at Wal Mart to see if we could get a timer for the outdoor lights but they didn’t have any so tomorrow we will try Lowe’s.
It’s now time to wind down and watch a bit of TV before going to bed, and so goes another day in this wonderful retirement life.
Saturday - December 8, 2007
Today was a nice day but a bit windy and cool, the high was about 70F (21C) but it was still pleasant. We had a quiet day, we didn’t go anywhere or do anything exciting. John went for his bike ride and I went for a walk but that was about it. John put up our lighted Santa and candy cane so that is now done.
Tonight was the parade of lights so we went out and watched it. People in the park decorated their golf carts, bikes, a car etc. then paraded them around the park, I have a couple of pictures I will post but still have a lot to learn about taking night pictures.
Tonight was the parade of lights so we went out and watched it. People in the park decorated their golf carts, bikes, a car etc. then paraded them around the park, I have a couple of pictures I will post but still have a lot to learn about taking night pictures.
Friday - December 7, 2007
Thankfully, I woke up this morning feeling much better but decided to be cautious so didn’t go for pool aerobics, I figure it is better to err on the side of caution than push my luck and feel crummy again tomorrow.
They were calling for rain today but fortunately that didn’t happen, it was a partly sunny day but very windy. John said when he went for his bike ride this morning that when he turned the corner into the wind it was like running into a brick wall!
Yesterday Jim and Sonia said the bus trip to Mexico was pretty well sold out so we went over this afternoon to see Harlean, the activity director at Desert Paradise, and got the last two seats on the bus. The trip is Feb. 22-24 to Rosarito Beach, Baja California, Mexico, it sounds interesting so we are looking forward to it. After that we went to Wal Mart and Albertsons, then home and when we got back I went off to do the laundry. I find that if I go at about the time most normal people eat dinner it is not busy and tonight I was the only one there. I went into the card room and found a Greg Isles book I haven’t read so started that while I was waiting for the laundry.
We are now watching a show on Conrad Black – an exciting evening!
They were calling for rain today but fortunately that didn’t happen, it was a partly sunny day but very windy. John said when he went for his bike ride this morning that when he turned the corner into the wind it was like running into a brick wall!
Yesterday Jim and Sonia said the bus trip to Mexico was pretty well sold out so we went over this afternoon to see Harlean, the activity director at Desert Paradise, and got the last two seats on the bus. The trip is Feb. 22-24 to Rosarito Beach, Baja California, Mexico, it sounds interesting so we are looking forward to it. After that we went to Wal Mart and Albertsons, then home and when we got back I went off to do the laundry. I find that if I go at about the time most normal people eat dinner it is not busy and tonight I was the only one there. I went into the card room and found a Greg Isles book I haven’t read so started that while I was waiting for the laundry.
We are now watching a show on Conrad Black – an exciting evening!
Thursday - December 6, 2007
I woke up this morning with a doozie of a cold – it is in my head so hope it stays there and doesn’t move down to my chest. I cleaned this morning then just relaxed for a couple of hours. John finished tidying up the cable TV cable so that is another job done.
This afternoon Jim & Sonia, who were behind us last year at Desert Paradise, came over for drinks and a visit. We had a good visit with them and always enjoy their company.
We had a light dinner then I finished my Catherine Coulter book and went to bed as I was feeling totally rotten. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a feel better day.
This afternoon Jim & Sonia, who were behind us last year at Desert Paradise, came over for drinks and a visit. We had a good visit with them and always enjoy their company.
We had a light dinner then I finished my Catherine Coulter book and went to bed as I was feeling totally rotten. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a feel better day.
Wednesday - December 5, 2007
Today was another beautiful, sunny day with highs in the mid 70’s – YESS!!
This morning I went to pool aerobics and got another good workout and John went for his bike ride. This afternoon we did Christmas cards then headed out to mail them and get some more stamps – we managed to mail them but didn’t get the stamps – it seems that the only reliable place for mail is the Hallmark Card Shop at Yuma Plaza so we will go there sometime in the next week and get our stamps. We stopped at a couple of places on the way home but didn’t buy anything other than a drill bit so John can run the cable TV into the trailer.
When we got back John got most of the cable TV hooked up (he just has to do some tidying up inside) then it was time for dinner – where does the day go!! I started a new book by Catherine Coulter this afternoon so that will be my reading until bedtime.
This morning I went to pool aerobics and got another good workout and John went for his bike ride. This afternoon we did Christmas cards then headed out to mail them and get some more stamps – we managed to mail them but didn’t get the stamps – it seems that the only reliable place for mail is the Hallmark Card Shop at Yuma Plaza so we will go there sometime in the next week and get our stamps. We stopped at a couple of places on the way home but didn’t buy anything other than a drill bit so John can run the cable TV into the trailer.
When we got back John got most of the cable TV hooked up (he just has to do some tidying up inside) then it was time for dinner – where does the day go!! I started a new book by Catherine Coulter this afternoon so that will be my reading until bedtime.
Tuesday -December 4, 2007
Today was a gorgeous sunny day and a bit warmer, it go up to the low 70’s so it was very comfortable.
We had a fun golf game and my new club and putter worked well, I even birdied a hole! Out of our 4some my drive was the only one on the green on the 4th hole (which was over water), then I sunk a long putt so was really happy. On the other hand I had some really bad putts but all in all my game wasn’t too bad.
On the way home from golf we stopped at Fry’s as I said I would bring desert to Janet & Dave’s and I lucked out and got a lemon meringue pie which Dave had asked for. We have company coming on Thursday afternoon so had to pick up some munchies for that. Then we had to stop for propane so by the time we got home we did a quick change then headed out to Janet & Dave’s.
We had a lovely dinner and the salmon was really good, they also had some smoked salmon before dinner so John enjoyed that, I don’t care for smoked salmon so passed on it. We had a good visit, as usual, and the evening passed really quickly. On the way home we passed a house with lights like Chevy Chases’s lights in Christmas Vacation – incredible!
We had a fun golf game and my new club and putter worked well, I even birdied a hole! Out of our 4some my drive was the only one on the green on the 4th hole (which was over water), then I sunk a long putt so was really happy. On the other hand I had some really bad putts but all in all my game wasn’t too bad.
On the way home from golf we stopped at Fry’s as I said I would bring desert to Janet & Dave’s and I lucked out and got a lemon meringue pie which Dave had asked for. We have company coming on Thursday afternoon so had to pick up some munchies for that. Then we had to stop for propane so by the time we got home we did a quick change then headed out to Janet & Dave’s.
We had a lovely dinner and the salmon was really good, they also had some smoked salmon before dinner so John enjoyed that, I don’t care for smoked salmon so passed on it. We had a good visit, as usual, and the evening passed really quickly. On the way home we passed a house with lights like Chevy Chases’s lights in Christmas Vacation – incredible!
Monday -December 3, 2007
Weather wise, today was a carbon copy of yesterday but quite windy. Still I prefer this to hot humid weather so I am not complaining. I have had e-mails today from all three of our children and my brother and can honestly say I DO NOT miss the weather they are having at home.
I went to pool aerobics this morning and quite enjoyed them (am I crazy!) but we did get a good workout. There were only about a dozen ladies there so lots of room to move. The lady who runs it has a boom box with a CD so it is kind of hard to follow at times but the ladies on either side of me are familiar with the program so were telling me what was coming next, very helpful and very much appreciated. Anyways, I hope to go 3 times a week for the pool aerobics as I do need the exercise!
This afternoon we went out looking for a pump for a 5 gallon water bottle but to no avail, there is a trailer here with one sitting out on the patio so we will have to stop and ask them where they got it (probably brought I down from B.C.!). While out and about we drove by the Golf Discount Warehouse so stopped to take a look and I got a pair of golf sandals which I have been looking for for a couple of years, and they were a good price so I am happy. Then I checked out a hybrid club, and yep I liked it, John tried out one and liked it as well. Then I tried out a putter and when I sunk 10 out 11 putts I couldn’t resist. Fortunately, they had a deal on buying 3 clubs so we saved a bit of money, now the test will be our game tomorrow.
John now is barbecuing a small chicken for dinner so guess I should get busy and get my part of dinner ready. Today I put up 3 out of 5 Christmas decorations, isn’t that wonderful! John has to find the other 2 to put up so maybe tomorrow, on the other hand tomorrow is golf and Janet & Dave’s for dinner so it will probably be Wednesday, this is the nice part of being retired, there is no rush to get things done!!
I went to pool aerobics this morning and quite enjoyed them (am I crazy!) but we did get a good workout. There were only about a dozen ladies there so lots of room to move. The lady who runs it has a boom box with a CD so it is kind of hard to follow at times but the ladies on either side of me are familiar with the program so were telling me what was coming next, very helpful and very much appreciated. Anyways, I hope to go 3 times a week for the pool aerobics as I do need the exercise!
This afternoon we went out looking for a pump for a 5 gallon water bottle but to no avail, there is a trailer here with one sitting out on the patio so we will have to stop and ask them where they got it (probably brought I down from B.C.!). While out and about we drove by the Golf Discount Warehouse so stopped to take a look and I got a pair of golf sandals which I have been looking for for a couple of years, and they were a good price so I am happy. Then I checked out a hybrid club, and yep I liked it, John tried out one and liked it as well. Then I tried out a putter and when I sunk 10 out 11 putts I couldn’t resist. Fortunately, they had a deal on buying 3 clubs so we saved a bit of money, now the test will be our game tomorrow.
John now is barbecuing a small chicken for dinner so guess I should get busy and get my part of dinner ready. Today I put up 3 out of 5 Christmas decorations, isn’t that wonderful! John has to find the other 2 to put up so maybe tomorrow, on the other hand tomorrow is golf and Janet & Dave’s for dinner so it will probably be Wednesday, this is the nice part of being retired, there is no rush to get things done!!
Sunday - December 2, 2007
Today was a beautiful sunny day but a bit on the cool side – I only saw a high of 65F (18C) on the truck today but I was comfortable in short sleeves so am not complaining. We have talked to our girls and a friend in Guelph and are VERY GLAD we are not in Ontario dealing with the snow, freezing rain, cold etc.
This afternoon we went to the market again, but didn’t find anything too exciting, we also stopped at Lowe’s and Wal Mart so it was an exciting afternoon.
I really don’t have anything to say today so this is going to be short. Hope you are all enjoying winter!
This afternoon we went to the market again, but didn’t find anything too exciting, we also stopped at Lowe’s and Wal Mart so it was an exciting afternoon.
I really don’t have anything to say today so this is going to be short. Hope you are all enjoying winter!
Saturday - December 1, 2007
Today was more like the weather we want here, a bright sunny day. This afternoon the wind came up and it cooled down but when I read about the accidents on Hwy. 400 south of Barrie due to snow and ice I will not complain about the weather here.
I had a very upsetting e-mail from our friends George & Marion this morning, their 35 year old son died last night of anaphylactic shock caused by a food allergy. Our hearts go out to them at this terrible time. Bain and his wife had just had their first child, a son, in July - life can be so cruel at times.
I went over at 12 today to do laundry and picked a good time as there was no one there when I started, a couple of ladies came in shortly after me but there were still empty machines so I am hoping meal times for most normal people will be a good time to find the laundry room quiet!
Tonight we met our friends Janet and Dave for dinner, it was great to see them again and we always have lots to talk about. After dinner they came back here for a while so it was a nice evening. They brought salmon that Dave caught in B.C. with them so have invited us for dinner next week – sounds yummy to us!
I had a very upsetting e-mail from our friends George & Marion this morning, their 35 year old son died last night of anaphylactic shock caused by a food allergy. Our hearts go out to them at this terrible time. Bain and his wife had just had their first child, a son, in July - life can be so cruel at times.
I went over at 12 today to do laundry and picked a good time as there was no one there when I started, a couple of ladies came in shortly after me but there were still empty machines so I am hoping meal times for most normal people will be a good time to find the laundry room quiet!
Tonight we met our friends Janet and Dave for dinner, it was great to see them again and we always have lots to talk about. After dinner they came back here for a while so it was a nice evening. They brought salmon that Dave caught in B.C. with them so have invited us for dinner next week – sounds yummy to us!
Friday - November 30, 2007
Well, today was a first for us for Yuma, it rained!! It was pretty intermittent until late this afternoon then it decided to really pour but at least it was warm so nothing to grouch about.
John wanted to get his hair cut and I wanted to get a pedicure so we headed for the mall down the road but it turns out the nail spa is a sign only, we met a woman who recommended another nail spa so after John got his hair cut we headed for the nail spa. I got my pedicure but wasn’t thrilled with it so won’t go back there again, guess I will go back to where I got my pedicures the past 2 winters even though it isn’t close to here.
After that we decided that a good way to spend a rainy afternoon was to go shopping so we went to Yuma Palms Mall. In Best Buy we ran into Doug & Judy, a couple from Guelph who are in the park we were in last year, so had quite a long chat with them. We ended not getting back home until almost 6:30 but dinner was easy as I had put some spagetti sauce in the slow cooker this morning so just had to cook the spagetti – a good wet night dinner.
It has finally stopped raining but I think they are calling for a chance of rain again tomorrow but looking at the weekend forecast it doesn’t look too pretty for anywhere in the US or Canada. I had an e-mail from my brother today who says that Environment Canada has released a report indicating that this is going to be the coldest winter in the past 15 years and you are to get more snow then normal as well, glad we are in the south for this winter and hope that those of you who aren’t retired and able to head to warmer climates enjoy your winter.
John wanted to get his hair cut and I wanted to get a pedicure so we headed for the mall down the road but it turns out the nail spa is a sign only, we met a woman who recommended another nail spa so after John got his hair cut we headed for the nail spa. I got my pedicure but wasn’t thrilled with it so won’t go back there again, guess I will go back to where I got my pedicures the past 2 winters even though it isn’t close to here.
After that we decided that a good way to spend a rainy afternoon was to go shopping so we went to Yuma Palms Mall. In Best Buy we ran into Doug & Judy, a couple from Guelph who are in the park we were in last year, so had quite a long chat with them. We ended not getting back home until almost 6:30 but dinner was easy as I had put some spagetti sauce in the slow cooker this morning so just had to cook the spagetti – a good wet night dinner.
It has finally stopped raining but I think they are calling for a chance of rain again tomorrow but looking at the weekend forecast it doesn’t look too pretty for anywhere in the US or Canada. I had an e-mail from my brother today who says that Environment Canada has released a report indicating that this is going to be the coldest winter in the past 15 years and you are to get more snow then normal as well, glad we are in the south for this winter and hope that those of you who aren’t retired and able to head to warmer climates enjoy your winter.
Thursday - November 29, 2007
Today was partly sunny but there was also a lot of cloud, still it is warm so we aren’t complaining. They are calling for rain the next couple of days so it will be interesting to see if it happens, guess it is needed here though.
This afternoon we went to the Arizona market and wandered around for a couple of hours, it was certainly quieter than it is in January and February so was good for just browsing around. I bought a couple of tops and a sweat shirt so was happy with my purchases. After the market we stopped at Lowe’s then Wal Mart so I had my fill of shopping by the time we got back.
Janet called tonight and they are in Yuma, a couple of days early, so we are meeting for dinner on Saturday night, it will be good to see them again.
We got a couple of drops of rain when John was barbecuing tonight but that was all there was – a couple of drops!
We just finished watching Catch Me If You Can, I got it for $4 so figured it was a good deal, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen it so we quite enjoyed it and we wanted to see how the new DVD player is – it worked just fine.
This afternoon we went to the Arizona market and wandered around for a couple of hours, it was certainly quieter than it is in January and February so was good for just browsing around. I bought a couple of tops and a sweat shirt so was happy with my purchases. After the market we stopped at Lowe’s then Wal Mart so I had my fill of shopping by the time we got back.
Janet called tonight and they are in Yuma, a couple of days early, so we are meeting for dinner on Saturday night, it will be good to see them again.
We got a couple of drops of rain when John was barbecuing tonight but that was all there was – a couple of drops!
We just finished watching Catch Me If You Can, I got it for $4 so figured it was a good deal, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen it so we quite enjoyed it and we wanted to see how the new DVD player is – it worked just fine.
Wednesday - November 28, 2007
Today was another overcast day, the sun appeared for a brief time late this afternoon but most of the day was overcast and it was quite windy.
I got my new phone today so now have it charged and registered and am in the process of getting it set up with my contact numbers etc. and figure out the new features – technology, technology!
Today was a petty quiet day, we didn’t go anywhere or do anything special – just putzzed around home.
I got my new phone today so now have it charged and registered and am in the process of getting it set up with my contact numbers etc. and figure out the new features – technology, technology!
Today was a petty quiet day, we didn’t go anywhere or do anything special – just putzzed around home.
Tuesday -November 27, 2007
Today is my younger sister’s birthday – Happy Birthday Pat – it was good chatting with you a while ago and hope you and Serita enjoy the movie.
It was quite overcast and cool this morning so we headed for golfing kind of dressed warmly and lo and behold didn’t the sun come out and it was very pleasant. My game wasn’t particularly stellar today, but my putting was okay and on the last hole I had all the shots for a par so I managed to redeem myself. The other lady on my team was a beautiful golfer and is in her 80’s, a good inspiration. We ended up with a 29 and when all was said and done there were 4 teams with a 29 so we had to do a putt off to see who won 1st, 2nd and 3rd. I was nominated to do the putting for my team so it was me and three fellas putting off and YES, I won for first prize, talk about making my day! We won $10 so I gave Jim and I each $3 and Audrey $4 as she played the best today.
On the way home we stopped at Wal Mart and I picked up a couple of groceries and John got us a small DVD player. When we got back I went for a walk and John went for his bike ride – all in all a good day. There was a trailer from Ontario when I went for my walk so I stopped for a minute to chat – they are from Perth and know a couple we know from there – small world.
After John came back from his bike ride we were sitting on the patio and he was playing with his GPS and a woman stopped and asked if we were geochachers. We said we hadn’t tried it so she said if we were interested we could go out with them sometime so it might be something interesting to try.
John has started supper and wants to watch the Tudors at 7 so another quiet end to a wonderful day.
It was quite overcast and cool this morning so we headed for golfing kind of dressed warmly and lo and behold didn’t the sun come out and it was very pleasant. My game wasn’t particularly stellar today, but my putting was okay and on the last hole I had all the shots for a par so I managed to redeem myself. The other lady on my team was a beautiful golfer and is in her 80’s, a good inspiration. We ended up with a 29 and when all was said and done there were 4 teams with a 29 so we had to do a putt off to see who won 1st, 2nd and 3rd. I was nominated to do the putting for my team so it was me and three fellas putting off and YES, I won for first prize, talk about making my day! We won $10 so I gave Jim and I each $3 and Audrey $4 as she played the best today.
On the way home we stopped at Wal Mart and I picked up a couple of groceries and John got us a small DVD player. When we got back I went for a walk and John went for his bike ride – all in all a good day. There was a trailer from Ontario when I went for my walk so I stopped for a minute to chat – they are from Perth and know a couple we know from there – small world.
After John came back from his bike ride we were sitting on the patio and he was playing with his GPS and a woman stopped and asked if we were geochachers. We said we hadn’t tried it so she said if we were interested we could go out with them sometime so it might be something interesting to try.
John has started supper and wants to watch the Tudors at 7 so another quiet end to a wonderful day.
Monday -November 26, 2007
Today was another nice day but a bit overcast. This morning was spent cleaning etc. (sure do wish Molly Maid would make an appearance!) then we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch, which was very good.
After lunch we went across the highway to the mall and toured a few stores. I wanted to go to Hallmark and get some postcards and stamps as they have a Postal outlet there and it is always much faster than a regular post office, plus I had a letter to mail to Nan so now that is all looked after.
I am at a point where I can upgrade my Verizon cell phone and get up to $100 off so I have been checking out the phones. They have some good deals through the internet, cheaper than in the store, but I ran into a problem when it came to putting in my zip code for the mailing address of my credit card, as it won’t accept a postal code, so I called Verizon and got it straightened out over the phone and got the internet price. I should get my new phone on Thursday so am looking forward to getting it activated and set up.
I had an e-mail from Kel a while ago and they are getting hit with snow again (she lives just outside of Port Perry) and the roads are slippery – sure do miss it – NOT!!
Time to think about making a little snack for dinner, we don’t want much after having a big lunch.
After lunch we went across the highway to the mall and toured a few stores. I wanted to go to Hallmark and get some postcards and stamps as they have a Postal outlet there and it is always much faster than a regular post office, plus I had a letter to mail to Nan so now that is all looked after.
I am at a point where I can upgrade my Verizon cell phone and get up to $100 off so I have been checking out the phones. They have some good deals through the internet, cheaper than in the store, but I ran into a problem when it came to putting in my zip code for the mailing address of my credit card, as it won’t accept a postal code, so I called Verizon and got it straightened out over the phone and got the internet price. I should get my new phone on Thursday so am looking forward to getting it activated and set up.
I had an e-mail from Kel a while ago and they are getting hit with snow again (she lives just outside of Port Perry) and the roads are slippery – sure do miss it – NOT!!
Time to think about making a little snack for dinner, we don’t want much after having a big lunch.
Sunday - November 25, 2007
Today was another nice, sunny day with a high of about 22C (72F). This morning it was too cool to sit out with coffee but hopefully it will warm up enough that we can enjoy our morning coffee on the patio. I talked to my mom yesterday and our children today so am happy as I always enjoy talking to all of them and catching up on their news.
This afternoon we played a round of golf at Foothills Par 3 Course and seeing how I haven’t played since last April I did pretty good and was pleased with my game (I just hope it isn’t just beginner’s luck and goes downhill from here!). It is a nice course and on Sunday afternoon it is $7 for 9 holes – sure can’t argue with that price. We found out that Desert Paradise (the park we were in last year) has started their Tuesday morning scramble so stopped at the park on our way home and signed up for this coming Tuesday. It was always a fun day and nobody takes it too seriously.
When we got back I went and did a couple of loads of wash and seemed to pick a good time as there was only one other woman in there when I went in. It cost $1.75 to wash and dry a load so the price is good, sure beats $4 to wash and dry a load at Green Acre in Waterloo!
By the time I got finished with the laundry it was time to make dinner – and so another day is done.
This afternoon we played a round of golf at Foothills Par 3 Course and seeing how I haven’t played since last April I did pretty good and was pleased with my game (I just hope it isn’t just beginner’s luck and goes downhill from here!). It is a nice course and on Sunday afternoon it is $7 for 9 holes – sure can’t argue with that price. We found out that Desert Paradise (the park we were in last year) has started their Tuesday morning scramble so stopped at the park on our way home and signed up for this coming Tuesday. It was always a fun day and nobody takes it too seriously.
When we got back I went and did a couple of loads of wash and seemed to pick a good time as there was only one other woman in there when I went in. It cost $1.75 to wash and dry a load so the price is good, sure beats $4 to wash and dry a load at Green Acre in Waterloo!
By the time I got finished with the laundry it was time to make dinner – and so another day is done.
Saturday - November 24, 2007
Today was another nice sunny day but it was quite windy. This morning was the meet and greet, starting at 9:30 and it was hard to know what to wear so I put a sweatshirt on over my t-shirt and by shortly after 10 the sweatshirt was off.
They had organized 12 different activities and when you signed in you had to circle your age group then they assigned you a group to join. They had awards at the end for the different age groups, both male and female. At each activity each person had 4 chances so could get a total of 4 points per activity with a total possible of 48 points – there was bean bag toss, tennis serves, pickle ball, horseshoes, basketball, washooes, hillbilly golf, table tennis, darts, shuffleboard, volleyball and golf putting. It was a good time (no prizes won by this couple!) and at the end they had hotdogs, chips and pop.
When we came back John got the satellite dish set up so Bell ExpressVu is now up and running. After he was done we went to Fry’s and Wal Mart to pick up a few groceries etc. then home and it is now time to start making dinner. We managed to find a thermometer so we now again will know both the inside and outside temperatures - I sure did miss not knowing the outside temperature and therefore how to dress.
And so another day is done and we are looking forward to a quiet evening of TV and reading.
They had organized 12 different activities and when you signed in you had to circle your age group then they assigned you a group to join. They had awards at the end for the different age groups, both male and female. At each activity each person had 4 chances so could get a total of 4 points per activity with a total possible of 48 points – there was bean bag toss, tennis serves, pickle ball, horseshoes, basketball, washooes, hillbilly golf, table tennis, darts, shuffleboard, volleyball and golf putting. It was a good time (no prizes won by this couple!) and at the end they had hotdogs, chips and pop.
When we came back John got the satellite dish set up so Bell ExpressVu is now up and running. After he was done we went to Fry’s and Wal Mart to pick up a few groceries etc. then home and it is now time to start making dinner. We managed to find a thermometer so we now again will know both the inside and outside temperatures - I sure did miss not knowing the outside temperature and therefore how to dress.
And so another day is done and we are looking forward to a quiet evening of TV and reading.
Friday - November 23, 2007
Today was a beautiful sunny day but there was quite a cool north wind blowing so it wasn’t sitting outside weather, still it was t-shirt warmth so we are not complaining.
This afternoon I went down and registered us for tomorrow’s meet and greet and asked about somewhere to get my hair cut so then went off to try Rosie who was recommended. Rosie did a good cut so I feel much better, I was at a point where I was ready to take the scissors to my hair myself!
When I came back we did what we said we wouldn’t do – we went out shopping. We went to Home Hardware and got a rail for John to mount the Bell ExpressVu dish on, so hopefully we will get that set up tomorrow afternoon. We then went to Target, Circuit City and Best Buy - mainly looking for a thermometer. No luck with thermometers but I did get a bag for my new camera and John got another memory stick – big deal!! By the time we got back it was dark and time to think about dinner – sure don’t know where the days go.
This afternoon I went down and registered us for tomorrow’s meet and greet and asked about somewhere to get my hair cut so then went off to try Rosie who was recommended. Rosie did a good cut so I feel much better, I was at a point where I was ready to take the scissors to my hair myself!
When I came back we did what we said we wouldn’t do – we went out shopping. We went to Home Hardware and got a rail for John to mount the Bell ExpressVu dish on, so hopefully we will get that set up tomorrow afternoon. We then went to Target, Circuit City and Best Buy - mainly looking for a thermometer. No luck with thermometers but I did get a bag for my new camera and John got another memory stick – big deal!! By the time we got back it was dark and time to think about dinner – sure don’t know where the days go.
Thursday - November 22, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends south of the border! We get to celebrate two Thanksgivings, the Canadian one in October and the American one in November, and we didn’t have turkey either time!! Today we cooked a ham for our Thanksgiving dinner – yummy!
We had a quiet day today, put away winter clothes and got out the rest of our summer clothes and just generally putzzed around this morning. This afternoon we drove over to Desert Paradise Park (where we spent the two previous winters) but it is still pretty quiet over there. We talked to Doug and Judy for a while (a couple from Guelph) but other than them most of the people we know haven’t arrived yet. We noticed Wal Mart was open today but didn’t stop as there was nothing we really needed.
Tomorrow is Black Friday, the biggest shopping day in the U.S., so I think we will avoid the stores tomorrow. We were talking to a couple here today who want to buy a TV so are planning on being at the store around 4 a.m. They said you can go and line up and get a number then come back later in the day to pick up your item – I just can’t imagine wanting something that badly.
Today was a gorgeous sunny day here, we sure do like this weather. I see the school buses were cancelled in the K/W region today because of the snow – Kel, sure hope you also got a snow day in PP. We can’t say we miss the snow!!
We had a quiet day today, put away winter clothes and got out the rest of our summer clothes and just generally putzzed around this morning. This afternoon we drove over to Desert Paradise Park (where we spent the two previous winters) but it is still pretty quiet over there. We talked to Doug and Judy for a while (a couple from Guelph) but other than them most of the people we know haven’t arrived yet. We noticed Wal Mart was open today but didn’t stop as there was nothing we really needed.
Tomorrow is Black Friday, the biggest shopping day in the U.S., so I think we will avoid the stores tomorrow. We were talking to a couple here today who want to buy a TV so are planning on being at the store around 4 a.m. They said you can go and line up and get a number then come back later in the day to pick up your item – I just can’t imagine wanting something that badly.
Today was a gorgeous sunny day here, we sure do like this weather. I see the school buses were cancelled in the K/W region today because of the snow – Kel, sure hope you also got a snow day in PP. We can’t say we miss the snow!!
Wednesday - November 21, 2007
Today was overcast and cooler, without the thermometer working I couldn’t tell the temperature from inside the trailer today but when we went out this afternoon it was only 21C (70F) on the truck thermometer.
Today was major cleaning, John washed both the trailer and truck, cleaned out the inside of the truck and reorganized the back of it. I did a major cleaning inside and got out some odds and ends that I put out when we are parked for a while (some Swarovski crystals, my oil candle etc.). A fellow from Bracebridge stopped by for a chat, there seems to be a lot more Ontario people in this park that at Desert Paradise where we were the last two winters.
About 2 we headed out to Lowe’s, I needed a new entrance rug and we wanted to look for a new thermometer. I got the rug okay but John couldn’t find a thermometer he liked so we went to Wal Mart to see what they had and again he couldn’t find anything he liked so we are still without a thermometer, it’s amazing how much you get used to something and miss it when you don’t have it. We did pick up a couple of things at Wal Mart then came back to the park a different way, it was an easier drive and not as much traffic so I think that will become a familiar route.
When we got back and John continued with organizing the back of the truck and I went for a walk to check out the park hairdresser and the laundry. The hairdresser is only open on Thursdays so I think I will have to look elsewhere, the laundry is a good price - $1.00 to wash and $0.75 for 35 minutes of drying. We sat out and watched a pretty sunset then it was time to come in and make dinner.
And so another day has gone by – it is amazing how the time flies!
Today was major cleaning, John washed both the trailer and truck, cleaned out the inside of the truck and reorganized the back of it. I did a major cleaning inside and got out some odds and ends that I put out when we are parked for a while (some Swarovski crystals, my oil candle etc.). A fellow from Bracebridge stopped by for a chat, there seems to be a lot more Ontario people in this park that at Desert Paradise where we were the last two winters.
About 2 we headed out to Lowe’s, I needed a new entrance rug and we wanted to look for a new thermometer. I got the rug okay but John couldn’t find a thermometer he liked so we went to Wal Mart to see what they had and again he couldn’t find anything he liked so we are still without a thermometer, it’s amazing how much you get used to something and miss it when you don’t have it. We did pick up a couple of things at Wal Mart then came back to the park a different way, it was an easier drive and not as much traffic so I think that will become a familiar route.
When we got back and John continued with organizing the back of the truck and I went for a walk to check out the park hairdresser and the laundry. The hairdresser is only open on Thursdays so I think I will have to look elsewhere, the laundry is a good price - $1.00 to wash and $0.75 for 35 minutes of drying. We sat out and watched a pretty sunset then it was time to come in and make dinner.
And so another day has gone by – it is amazing how the time flies!
Tuesday -November 20, 2007
We have arrived!! We arrived at Del Pueblo RV Park, Yuma at 3:40 p.m. and we just made it in time as the office closes at 4. Today we hit a high of 28C (83F) and it was a mostly cloudy day which we didn’t mind as it is good for driving. Today we went from an elevation of 7000+’ at Williams to 178’ here at Del Pueblo – quite a difference. We decided to try Highway 95 through California and avoid Lake Havasu etc. but that was a poor choice, California 95 was a terrible road so we were glad to get back on Arizona 95 at Parker that was much better. Somewhere today something hit the underside of the trailer and tore the cap off a tube containing a spare sewer hose and the remote for our indoor/outdoor thermometer, so we lost the remote and ruined the sewer hose – grrr!!!! We will have to get a new thermometer as we really like the indoor/outdoor one – the only saving grace is that the thermometer is about 5 years old, so not like it was a new one.
Mileage wise it was a total of 4138 km (2586 miles) from Can-Am RV in London to Del Pueblo so we covered a lot of ground and are glad to be here and have the drive behind us.
While John was setting up I started on the cleaning – we need a good cleaning both inside and out so I got a few things done inside this afternoon and will continue tomorrow. John is eager to get at cleaning the outside as both the truck and trailer are disgustingly dirty after the drive and anyone who knows John knows that he hates a dirty truck and trailer!!
We sat outside to have a beer before dinner and a couple from Edmonton stopped and chatted for a bit and then a fellow from Kansas City stopped for a chat so it would appear that people here are friendly. We are looking forward to meeting new people and making new friends.
The park has a new wi-fi system (free) so it will be interesting to see how it works, tonight it seems kind of slow and the park is only about half full so it will be interesting to see what it is like when the park is full. If it gets too bad we will get Beamspeed again but I hate to pay for it when it is free. Oh well, time will tell.
Mileage wise it was a total of 4138 km (2586 miles) from Can-Am RV in London to Del Pueblo so we covered a lot of ground and are glad to be here and have the drive behind us.
While John was setting up I started on the cleaning – we need a good cleaning both inside and out so I got a few things done inside this afternoon and will continue tomorrow. John is eager to get at cleaning the outside as both the truck and trailer are disgustingly dirty after the drive and anyone who knows John knows that he hates a dirty truck and trailer!!
We sat outside to have a beer before dinner and a couple from Edmonton stopped and chatted for a bit and then a fellow from Kansas City stopped for a chat so it would appear that people here are friendly. We are looking forward to meeting new people and making new friends.
The park has a new wi-fi system (free) so it will be interesting to see how it works, tonight it seems kind of slow and the park is only about half full so it will be interesting to see what it is like when the park is full. If it gets too bad we will get Beamspeed again but I hate to pay for it when it is free. Oh well, time will tell.
Monday -November 19, 2007
Today was another gorgeous day with a high of 25C (77F), we sure do love this weather. Last night when we came back from shopping John noticed the truck beside us was from Gary Cooper in Elora and this morning when we were getting ready to leave the couple came out of their RV so we had a chat with them for a bit. She was a Carolyn also and they live at Maple Leaf Acres in Belwood, they were going to spend today in Albuquerque then are heading for destinations unknown in Arizona.
Due to stopping to chat, and then heading over to the other side of the interstate to get propane from Randy it was about 9:30 before we got on the road but we made good time and decided to drive to Williams, AZ and stop at Railside RV Park. We spent 11 days here during April 2006 and found it a really nice park and Tamara the owner is a lovely person. When we checked in she thought we had been here before so she gave us a discount, then while chatting John said we had told numerous people about her park so that earned us another discount – as I say she is a nice person.
I got the laundry done before dinner so am now a happy camper again. The park is totally lit up for Christmas – 1000’s of lights so after dinner we went for a walk around to enjoy them. It really looks pretty but I would hate to have their electric bill for the next 6 weeks! The Grand Canyon train goes right by the park and the last trip from the park had 15 cars on it, we were amazed that there would be that many people taking the train to the canyon at this time of year. Tamara was saying they also have a Polar Express train at night and it also was full with about 15 cars on it, I don’t know how far it goes on it’s trip but not as far as the park. Apparently it is more for kids with all kinds of entertainment on board, obviously it is a popular trip going by the number of cars it had and they all appeared to be full.
We have wi-fi tonight so I will get caught up on my blog. I also got caught up on e-mail and thanks everyone for the e-mails, as you know I love to hear from you. Pat & Keith, who have the trailer across the road from us at Green Acres in Waterloo, sent us a lot of pictures of their trip to Newfoundland in September so I enjoyed looking at them.
We are at an elevation of over 7000’ here so I expect it will get quite cold tonight, but that is okay as it is good for sleeping and it warms up nicely during the day so we won’t complain.
Due to stopping to chat, and then heading over to the other side of the interstate to get propane from Randy it was about 9:30 before we got on the road but we made good time and decided to drive to Williams, AZ and stop at Railside RV Park. We spent 11 days here during April 2006 and found it a really nice park and Tamara the owner is a lovely person. When we checked in she thought we had been here before so she gave us a discount, then while chatting John said we had told numerous people about her park so that earned us another discount – as I say she is a nice person.
I got the laundry done before dinner so am now a happy camper again. The park is totally lit up for Christmas – 1000’s of lights so after dinner we went for a walk around to enjoy them. It really looks pretty but I would hate to have their electric bill for the next 6 weeks! The Grand Canyon train goes right by the park and the last trip from the park had 15 cars on it, we were amazed that there would be that many people taking the train to the canyon at this time of year. Tamara was saying they also have a Polar Express train at night and it also was full with about 15 cars on it, I don’t know how far it goes on it’s trip but not as far as the park. Apparently it is more for kids with all kinds of entertainment on board, obviously it is a popular trip going by the number of cars it had and they all appeared to be full.
We have wi-fi tonight so I will get caught up on my blog. I also got caught up on e-mail and thanks everyone for the e-mails, as you know I love to hear from you. Pat & Keith, who have the trailer across the road from us at Green Acres in Waterloo, sent us a lot of pictures of their trip to Newfoundland in September so I enjoyed looking at them.
We are at an elevation of over 7000’ here so I expect it will get quite cold tonight, but that is okay as it is good for sleeping and it warms up nicely during the day so we won’t complain.
Sunday - November 18, 2007
Today was another gorgeous day with a high of 23C (73F). Today we drove through Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and then New Mexico. When we entered New Mexico we changed to Mountain Time so gained an hour, now we are 2 hours behind Waterloo.
I had planned on a short day today and thought we would stop around Tucumcari as I needed some groceries and wanted to do laundry. When we got to Tucumcari John suggested we go on to Santa Rosa and then before Santa Rosa suggested we go right through to Albuquerque so that is what we did and we ended up driving 692 km (433 miles) – so much for a short day!
Today we saw a real variety of landscapes – from the Midwest Plains to the scrub country of Texas to the mountains of New Mexico. We passed quite a few feedlots with thousands of cattle, sure could smell them as well as see them! We again saw numerous trains before getting on the Interstate at Tucumcari and one we passed that was pulled over on a siding had 3 engines, 103 cars and was 1.8 km in length – can you imagine waiting for that at a level crossing!
We really enjoyed the route through Iowa, Kansas etc. and it was nice to miss all the big cities – i.e. Indianapolis, St. Louis, Oklahoma City etc. It was pretty well the same distance as going through the above cities but took us a day less than the first time we came to Arizona in January of 2006, we certainly would take this route again as it is so nice to drive on quieter interstates as well as good US secondary highways.
When we got to High Desert RV Park we unhooked and headed to Camping World, then to Wal Mart for groceries so it was after 7 when we got home. I picked up a cooked chicken for dinner, at a cost of $4.49, as well as a couple of salads so that was an easy dinner and John didn’t have to worry about barbecuing. The laundry didn’t get done so I am going to insist on a shorter day tomorrow so I can get it done. I feel totally wiped and am having trouble keeping my eyes open so am off to bed. No internet tonight, we could get it but it costs $4.99 for 24 hours so I am not going to waste my money, the place I want to stop at tomorrow has free wi-fi so will wait till then.
I had planned on a short day today and thought we would stop around Tucumcari as I needed some groceries and wanted to do laundry. When we got to Tucumcari John suggested we go on to Santa Rosa and then before Santa Rosa suggested we go right through to Albuquerque so that is what we did and we ended up driving 692 km (433 miles) – so much for a short day!
Today we saw a real variety of landscapes – from the Midwest Plains to the scrub country of Texas to the mountains of New Mexico. We passed quite a few feedlots with thousands of cattle, sure could smell them as well as see them! We again saw numerous trains before getting on the Interstate at Tucumcari and one we passed that was pulled over on a siding had 3 engines, 103 cars and was 1.8 km in length – can you imagine waiting for that at a level crossing!
We really enjoyed the route through Iowa, Kansas etc. and it was nice to miss all the big cities – i.e. Indianapolis, St. Louis, Oklahoma City etc. It was pretty well the same distance as going through the above cities but took us a day less than the first time we came to Arizona in January of 2006, we certainly would take this route again as it is so nice to drive on quieter interstates as well as good US secondary highways.
When we got to High Desert RV Park we unhooked and headed to Camping World, then to Wal Mart for groceries so it was after 7 when we got home. I picked up a cooked chicken for dinner, at a cost of $4.49, as well as a couple of salads so that was an easy dinner and John didn’t have to worry about barbecuing. The laundry didn’t get done so I am going to insist on a shorter day tomorrow so I can get it done. I feel totally wiped and am having trouble keeping my eyes open so am off to bed. No internet tonight, we could get it but it costs $4.99 for 24 hours so I am not going to waste my money, the place I want to stop at tomorrow has free wi-fi so will wait till then.
Saturday - November 17, 2007
Today was an absolutely gorgeous day and the high on the truck thermometer was 24C (75F) – YES!!!! There was a big football game in Topeka today and boy the traffic going into Topeka was incredible at 8:30 in the morning, the exit at the toll plaza was backed way out onto the highway. We had no problem getting around it but sure were glad we didn’t want to get off at that exit. Once we cleared that we couldn’t believe how light the traffic was all day – all in all it was a good drive, although boring – just like driving through Saskatchewan with all the prairies and mainly corn fields with some oil drilling rigs thrown in for a bit of change.
At Wichita we picked up US 54 that will take us southwest through Oklahoma, Texas and bring us out at Tucumcari, NM (tomorrow’s destination). US 54 is a two lane highway but has very wide shoulders and lots of passing lanes, so is a good drive and it is kind of nice to get off the interstates for something different. Today we passed at least half a dozen trains and they were all very long, one was over a kilometer in length! Just think how many transports would be on the roads if these trains weren’t running.
Tonight we are just outside Liberal, KS in a new park; it is okay but there is no wi-fi so this won’t get posted tonight.
We are just about through Kansas and there was no sign of Dorothy and the Tin Man but we did go through a very small town advertising the hideout of the Dalton gang - I don’t know anything about them but John says that they weren’t nice people.
At Wichita we picked up US 54 that will take us southwest through Oklahoma, Texas and bring us out at Tucumcari, NM (tomorrow’s destination). US 54 is a two lane highway but has very wide shoulders and lots of passing lanes, so is a good drive and it is kind of nice to get off the interstates for something different. Today we passed at least half a dozen trains and they were all very long, one was over a kilometer in length! Just think how many transports would be on the roads if these trains weren’t running.
Tonight we are just outside Liberal, KS in a new park; it is okay but there is no wi-fi so this won’t get posted tonight.
We are just about through Kansas and there was no sign of Dorothy and the Tin Man but we did go through a very small town advertising the hideout of the Dalton gang - I don’t know anything about them but John says that they weren’t nice people.
Friday - November 16, 2007
Last night the temperature hit a low of -2C (28F) so it was a very cold night, thank goodness for the electric blanket.
Today was a gorgeous day – sunny with nary a cloud in the sky and the high was 16C (61F) so it is improving. Today we traveled through Iowa, Missouri and into Kansas and there were still lots of cornfields, but at least the land was more rolling than flat so a bit more scenic.
There was a lot of truck traffic this morning to Des Moines but once we got on I-35 south we lost most of the trucks, the traffic thinned right out and it was really good driving. About 15 miles north of Kansas City we took a County Road west for about 20 miles then picked up I-435 down the west side of Kansas City and what a good drive that was. It was around 3:30 Friday afternoon so we were expecting tons of traffic but there was hardly any so what a bonus.
RV parks are not prolific in this area so we decided to go across to Topeka then south so we are now at Lawrence KS which is between Kansas City and Topeka. We are at a 3 star KOA – the Interstate and train tracks are right by the park – the only thing it is missing is the rock crushing plant!!
Tomorrow as we are traveling through Kansas I will be keeping my eyes peeled in the hopes of seeing Dorothy and the Tin Man!
Today was a gorgeous day – sunny with nary a cloud in the sky and the high was 16C (61F) so it is improving. Today we traveled through Iowa, Missouri and into Kansas and there were still lots of cornfields, but at least the land was more rolling than flat so a bit more scenic.
There was a lot of truck traffic this morning to Des Moines but once we got on I-35 south we lost most of the trucks, the traffic thinned right out and it was really good driving. About 15 miles north of Kansas City we took a County Road west for about 20 miles then picked up I-435 down the west side of Kansas City and what a good drive that was. It was around 3:30 Friday afternoon so we were expecting tons of traffic but there was hardly any so what a bonus.
RV parks are not prolific in this area so we decided to go across to Topeka then south so we are now at Lawrence KS which is between Kansas City and Topeka. We are at a 3 star KOA – the Interstate and train tracks are right by the park – the only thing it is missing is the rock crushing plant!!
Tomorrow as we are traveling through Kansas I will be keeping my eyes peeled in the hopes of seeing Dorothy and the Tin Man!
Thursday - November 15, 2007
Today was COLD – when we left Auburn it was raining/snowing and the high on the truck thermometer today was 42F (6C) which is far too cold. The sun broke through about noon so it seemed warmer than it was but the wind was brutal all day, thankfully it finally calmed down late this afternoon.
We drove west from Auburn on US 30 this morning which is a good highway but slower than the interstates as it goes through a lot of towns and there are the usual stop lights etc. on the way. We cut up on I-57 to I-80 west and it was good driving on the interstates with not a lot of traffic, but of course by then we had cleared Chicago. We crossed the Mississippi River today so I guess we can now say we are in the west! Today’s scenery was corn field after corn field and it was very flat – quite boring actually!!
Tonight we are at the KOA at West Liberty, Missouri so we got a bit farther than we thought. Now I have to replot tomorrow’s route, which entails changing over to the Windows side of my Mac as that is where my mapping software is.
“Alice”, our GPS does a fairly good job of directing but she and I do have differences of opinion and I get quite frustrated listening to her recalculating the route until she agrees with mine! Think I should have called her a male name but it is a female voice (but I think her planning is done by a male!). I must admit though that she is handy to tell you which way to turn and alert you to upcoming turns. One of the weird things I have found with her so far is her directions to RV parks, both last night and tonight she was way off – glad I had Trailer Life for directions and didn’t rely on “Alice”.
There is no wi-fi here so I will have to wait to post this until another day.
We drove west from Auburn on US 30 this morning which is a good highway but slower than the interstates as it goes through a lot of towns and there are the usual stop lights etc. on the way. We cut up on I-57 to I-80 west and it was good driving on the interstates with not a lot of traffic, but of course by then we had cleared Chicago. We crossed the Mississippi River today so I guess we can now say we are in the west! Today’s scenery was corn field after corn field and it was very flat – quite boring actually!!
Tonight we are at the KOA at West Liberty, Missouri so we got a bit farther than we thought. Now I have to replot tomorrow’s route, which entails changing over to the Windows side of my Mac as that is where my mapping software is.
“Alice”, our GPS does a fairly good job of directing but she and I do have differences of opinion and I get quite frustrated listening to her recalculating the route until she agrees with mine! Think I should have called her a male name but it is a female voice (but I think her planning is done by a male!). I must admit though that she is handy to tell you which way to turn and alert you to upcoming turns. One of the weird things I have found with her so far is her directions to RV parks, both last night and tonight she was way off – glad I had Trailer Life for directions and didn’t rely on “Alice”.
There is no wi-fi here so I will have to wait to post this until another day.
Wednesday - November 14, 2007
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Well, we are finally on The Road Again and it feels good to be heading south into warmer weather – hopefully! We have decided to try a different route to Arizona and go through Iowa and Kansas so it should be interesting, just hope the weather remains okay.
We got away from Can-Am about 8:30 this morning and it was misty with a light rain but by the time we got to Sarnia the sun was out and it felt quite warm. We stopped at the Duty Free, which wasn’t too busy, but then had to wait about 45 minutes to clear customs on the US side - not too bad considering the amount of traffic.
We got to the KOA at Auburn, Indianna shortly after 3 so unhooked and went into Auburn to get groceries and fuel then headed back to the park. John got us hooked back up in case it is raining in the morning so it won’t take us long to get on the road again.
John was going to barbecue dinner but the wind was so strong he couldn’t keep the barbecue lit so we ended up changing the menu and cooking inside. Hopefully we don’t get too much wind like that!
Well, we are finally on The Road Again and it feels good to be heading south into warmer weather – hopefully! We have decided to try a different route to Arizona and go through Iowa and Kansas so it should be interesting, just hope the weather remains okay.
We got away from Can-Am about 8:30 this morning and it was misty with a light rain but by the time we got to Sarnia the sun was out and it felt quite warm. We stopped at the Duty Free, which wasn’t too busy, but then had to wait about 45 minutes to clear customs on the US side - not too bad considering the amount of traffic.
We got to the KOA at Auburn, Indianna shortly after 3 so unhooked and went into Auburn to get groceries and fuel then headed back to the park. John got us hooked back up in case it is raining in the morning so it won’t take us long to get on the road again.
John was going to barbecue dinner but the wind was so strong he couldn’t keep the barbecue lit so we ended up changing the menu and cooking inside. Hopefully we don’t get too much wind like that!
Monday - September 17, 2007
Today was another nice sunny day. We had a good drive, hit some construction along Highway 7 which slowed us down for a bit but mostly it was good driving, by Mount Albert we figured we could be back to Kincardine by about 6 so decided to go for it, we just didn’t want to pay top $ for another so-so campsite!
We are back, parked and have the wi-fi and Bell ExpressVu up and running so that was enough for tonight. There is lots of cleaning etc. to do so the next couple of days will be busy. I also desperately need a haircut and a pedicure so will try to get those arranged first thing tomorrow morning.
We had a wonderful trip and would highly recommend visiting Newfoundland to anyone who is thinking about it – it is a beautiful province and so very interesting. All in all we traveled 13,760 km– a lot of driving but oh such beautiful sights! John just told me that 8,080 of those kilometers were with the trailer on board so we did almost 5,700 km just touring around!
This will be the end of my diary until we head for Arizona in mid November.
We are back, parked and have the wi-fi and Bell ExpressVu up and running so that was enough for tonight. There is lots of cleaning etc. to do so the next couple of days will be busy. I also desperately need a haircut and a pedicure so will try to get those arranged first thing tomorrow morning.
We had a wonderful trip and would highly recommend visiting Newfoundland to anyone who is thinking about it – it is a beautiful province and so very interesting. All in all we traveled 13,760 km– a lot of driving but oh such beautiful sights! John just told me that 8,080 of those kilometers were with the trailer on board so we did almost 5,700 km just touring around!
This will be the end of my diary until we head for Arizona in mid November.
Sunday - September 16, 2007
Today was nice and sunny but cool, we won’t complain as at least we saw sun all day. Today was a long driving day – Levis to Carleton Place with a detour where we got lost at Hawkesbury! Boy, after all the traveling we have done we find Eastern Ontario to be the worst place for directions and signage – we really do dislike traveling in this part of Ontario!! There is a definite lack of signage and we get really irritated when it is all in French – we have no problem with French signage but do think that seeing how this is Ontario there should also be English signage!!!! As for it being the nation’s capital it is pretty embarrassing to see what little signage we have for tourists directing them to all the sights here –we get the feeling that they would rather the tourists go away.
Tonight we are at Tranquil Acres, just outside of Carleton Place and although it is an okay campground the prices are outrageous - $34/night for a so-so spot. We had much nicer spots in Newfoundland and the Gaspe for a lot less, I really do wonder what our neighbours to the south think when they come to places like this with the prices they charge. I know today was a long day and I am getting grouchy – guess it is carrying through to my diary tonight so I will close now before I get real miserable.
Tonight we are at Tranquil Acres, just outside of Carleton Place and although it is an okay campground the prices are outrageous - $34/night for a so-so spot. We had much nicer spots in Newfoundland and the Gaspe for a lot less, I really do wonder what our neighbours to the south think when they come to places like this with the prices they charge. I know today was a long day and I am getting grouchy – guess it is carrying through to my diary tonight so I will close now before I get real miserable.
Saturday - September 15, 2007
Thanks everyone for the e-mails and phone calls wishing me a happy birthday, it was good to hear from everyone. We want to wish our new friend Jim a happy birthday today as he and I share the same birth day.
Wow what a difference in weather today! Last night it got really windy then started to rain during the night and this morning was one cold, wet, miserable morning and it stayed like that till mid afternoon. It poured rain the whole time we were driving and was quite foggy in spots, not much good for sightseeing. We arrived in Levis about 3 p.m. and just when we got here the rain stopped, the sky cleared and the sun actually came out – figures it would get nice when we get here but not for the drive!
After we got settled I got caught up a bit on my e-mail, blog etc. then we went out and picked up a few groceries and then went out for dinner. When we were here in July we found a really nice restaurant so went back again tonight – John had pizza and I had a Thai Chicken Stir Fry - yummy.
Wow what a difference in weather today! Last night it got really windy then started to rain during the night and this morning was one cold, wet, miserable morning and it stayed like that till mid afternoon. It poured rain the whole time we were driving and was quite foggy in spots, not much good for sightseeing. We arrived in Levis about 3 p.m. and just when we got here the rain stopped, the sky cleared and the sun actually came out – figures it would get nice when we get here but not for the drive!
After we got settled I got caught up a bit on my e-mail, blog etc. then we went out and picked up a few groceries and then went out for dinner. When we were here in July we found a really nice restaurant so went back again tonight – John had pizza and I had a Thai Chicken Stir Fry - yummy.
Friday - September 14, 2007
Today was another gorgeous day - very sunny but it was quite cool while driving – at one point it was 8C on the truck thermometer but then when we stopped later this afternoon it was 21C – go figure.
We had a very pretty, scenic drive, lots of ups and downs, then we would come into a bay and there would be a very pretty town spread out around the bay. After an hour or so of driving west on the south shore of the St. Lawrence we got to a point where the road ran along the base of the mountains right at river level – we were between the mountain and the river - beautiful.
We stopped for the night just west of Matane, so it will be a good run tomorrow to Levis. This park has wi-fi but we couldn’t get logged on using the Mac, I switched to the Windows part on my computer and could get on the internet but all my pictures and diary are on the Mac so I couldn’t update my blog. I did check e-mail etc. but no postings tonight.
We had a very pretty, scenic drive, lots of ups and downs, then we would come into a bay and there would be a very pretty town spread out around the bay. After an hour or so of driving west on the south shore of the St. Lawrence we got to a point where the road ran along the base of the mountains right at river level – we were between the mountain and the river - beautiful.
We stopped for the night just west of Matane, so it will be a good run tomorrow to Levis. This park has wi-fi but we couldn’t get logged on using the Mac, I switched to the Windows part on my computer and could get on the internet but all my pictures and diary are on the Mac so I couldn’t update my blog. I did check e-mail etc. but no postings tonight.
Thursday - September 13, 2007
Today was a gorgeous day, the wind died down a bit, it was still windy but at least it was sunny so what more could we ask for.
Steve, Cheryl, Linda & Jim arrived just after 11 and they were really impressed with our spot here and the view, thought we had a real good one! John barbecued hamburgers and chicken burgers for lunch then we all headed into town and got a boat tour of Perce Rock and Bonaventure Island. There was a real good swell so it was a fun ride and on the far side of Bonaventure Island we saw a lot of seals and thousands of birds – quite a sight. Cheryl was saying that in the summer when the tide is out you can walk from town out to Perce rock and around, today didn’t look like a good day for a walk like that, the waves were rolling up on the rock pretty good.
John, Cheryl & Steve got off on Bonaventure Island to go hiking for a bit and Jim, Linda and I came back to Perce and did some shopping, had a coffee then came back to the trailer to wait for the hikers to return – all in all a really fun day. It was sad to say goodbye to them but hopefully we will meet up again somewhere. Jim & Linda go to California for the winter and are planning on going to Yuma next year when they leave California so we will be looking forward to seeing them there, Steve & Cheryl have a daughter who has just moved to London so hopefully we can meet up again when they visit London.
Tonight is really cold, down in the 40’s – brrrr!!!! Sure hope this doesn’t last too long as I am not ready for it!
Steve, Cheryl, Linda & Jim arrived just after 11 and they were really impressed with our spot here and the view, thought we had a real good one! John barbecued hamburgers and chicken burgers for lunch then we all headed into town and got a boat tour of Perce Rock and Bonaventure Island. There was a real good swell so it was a fun ride and on the far side of Bonaventure Island we saw a lot of seals and thousands of birds – quite a sight. Cheryl was saying that in the summer when the tide is out you can walk from town out to Perce rock and around, today didn’t look like a good day for a walk like that, the waves were rolling up on the rock pretty good.
John, Cheryl & Steve got off on Bonaventure Island to go hiking for a bit and Jim, Linda and I came back to Perce and did some shopping, had a coffee then came back to the trailer to wait for the hikers to return – all in all a really fun day. It was sad to say goodbye to them but hopefully we will meet up again somewhere. Jim & Linda go to California for the winter and are planning on going to Yuma next year when they leave California so we will be looking forward to seeing them there, Steve & Cheryl have a daughter who has just moved to London so hopefully we can meet up again when they visit London.
Tonight is really cold, down in the 40’s – brrrr!!!! Sure hope this doesn’t last too long as I am not ready for it!
Wednesday, - September 12, 2007
Well, the rain stopped but it sure was windy today. We left New Carlisle for Perce and had a good drive, we are now at Parc du Phere Perce, and boy do we have a view!! This is the first time we have wished we had a rear living room as our bedroom window overlooks the town of Perce and Perce Rock – a million dollar view.
After we got settled we drove around town, stopped at the library to use the internet, checked out the Visitor’s Centre, boat tours etc., stopped at the grocery store and then came back and did laundry – boring eh!
The wind has finally died down and hopefully tomorrow will be a nice day.
After we got settled we drove around town, stopped at the library to use the internet, checked out the Visitor’s Centre, boat tours etc., stopped at the grocery store and then came back and did laundry – boring eh!
The wind has finally died down and hopefully tomorrow will be a nice day.
Tuesday - September 11, 2007
Well the clear sky last night didn’t last, today was one real crummy day – cold, wet and rainy – not a day to do too much.
Cheryl, Steve, Linda and Jim came to the trailer around 12:30 and we ended up just sitting here visiting and then Steve & Cheryl took us all out for dinner – we went to a nice restaurant in town and had a really good dinner – I had the special which was trout and really tasty. After dinner we went back to the cottage for the evening.
Tomorrow we are heading for Perce as the weather is supposed to be so-so but nice on Thursday so we decided the so-so day would be a good one to move on to Perce then have a nice day Thursday to do sightseeing. Cheryl, Steve, Linda and Jim are doing Perce on Thursday so we are planning on meeting up with them again.
Cheryl, Steve, Linda and Jim came to the trailer around 12:30 and we ended up just sitting here visiting and then Steve & Cheryl took us all out for dinner – we went to a nice restaurant in town and had a really good dinner – I had the special which was trout and really tasty. After dinner we went back to the cottage for the evening.
Tomorrow we are heading for Perce as the weather is supposed to be so-so but nice on Thursday so we decided the so-so day would be a good one to move on to Perce then have a nice day Thursday to do sightseeing. Cheryl, Steve, Linda and Jim are doing Perce on Thursday so we are planning on meeting up with them again.
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