Friday, February 18, 2011

Again, a couple of weeks have gone by in a flash, I don’t know where the time goes.

Two weeks ago Sunday we had gone to the inside Arizona Market (they now have an inside one and an outside one), and Sears is right across the road so when we left the market John wanted to run into Sears and get a screw driver so I went in and decided to wander through the grill section to see what, if anything, was on sale. Lo and behold if the grill he had wanted wasn’t on sale, $100 of with an additional 10% off so of course we grabbed it. They only had 2 left and both of them had been put together so it was a very slow trip home with it in the back of the truck, but we made it safely taking little used roads and going real slow. John really likes his new grill and it is almost as nice as the Napolean at home.



We finally got to see The King’s Speech and what a good movie it is, we thoroughly enjoyed it. We had received a $10 gift certificate for Logan’s Roadhouse from the place where we bought our new mattress so went there for dinner after the movie. We went to Logan’s a couple of years ago and said we would never go back the service was so bad and the food wasn’t great, but with the gift certificate in hand back we went. The service still wasn’t great and John’s steak was tough but my shrimp were good, I don’t think we will go back again as there are too many other good places to go but it certainly wasn’t as bad as a couple of years ago.

On the same day as we went to the show I went to the Ladies Luncheon here in the park and won another prize, this time a tea towel and some bag clips. That same day our daughter Kelly won $5,000 in the Heart and Stroke calendar daily draw, her sister had given her the calendar for Christmas so how lucky was that! Now it would be nice to see Nancy win one of the draws also.

Last Wednesday our new solar shades for the south side of the house came and we are real happy with them. We got a burgundy colour that looks really nice with the house, most people get the beige so ours are really different but look nice. We only had a 3’ drop put in the section at the bottom of the deck steps so we still would have access to outside the patio area and John could get at the grill. It also lets in some sun but there is also lots of room to get out of it if we don’t want to sit in the sun. We do need new shades on the two back sections but that will have to wait until next year. We bought some new chairs and side tables for the patio so that area is now all done.





Last Saturday night we went to the burger dinner here at the park with the couple across the street and another couple who have bought a place here in the park and will be moving in around mid March. The burgers were really good and after dinner we went back to Sharon & Bob’s and sat out until it got too cold to sit out any longer. When we came home it was only 7:20, dinner at 5 sure makes for a lonnnnnng evening when you aren’t used to eating that early! Last night we went to the spaghetti dinner and were home before 6, I call it the eat and dash dinner because as soon as people are through eating they head for home, no socializing done at these dinners!

At dinner last night we sat with our neighbours on the north and they asked when we were leaving and were disappointed to hear we would be still here when they are ready to leave as they were hoping to put their 5th wheel on the road for a day or two to load up before they leave. It is allowed here as long as you leave it hooked up to the truck, but they are so long they would block our driveway where we park our truck. John told them it would be no problem, we could park the truck on the other side for a couple of days and then we could block their driveway for a couple of days when we are loading up, a good deal for both.

David next door came in to the hall last night and got take out for his mom and him and when I came home he was just heading out to take his dog for a walk and I had a good laugh as Mitzi was red all around her mouth from licking out the spaghetti container.

John is enjoying his new bike, the frame is a bit small but he managed to get the seat elevated and the handlebars in a comfortable position so it is better for riding than his fold up bike. Maybe some day he will be able to find another good deal with a larger frame but for now this one will do and the price was right.

Today is the annual fashion show and luncheon so I am looking forward to it as it is usually a nice time, I hear they are serving chicken cesar salad and strawberry short cake.

The forecast is for rain tomorrow and today is overcast and cooler but we aren’t complaining as it still beats the weather back home. This week has been really nice with temperatures in the mid to high 70’sF, just perfect as far as I’m concerned.

A pretty sunset last week


And so ends more great gifts of days and we look forward to more good days to come.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Yes, we are still alive and in the land of the living. I find it very hard to write something when we aren’t doing anything exciting; when traveling it is easy to write about where we are and what we are doing, but now we are like anyone else living in the same place and carrying on a normal life.

We took part in the parks Garage Sale two weeks ago, and hooray, we managed to get rid of everything. We were out just before 8 a.m. and it was quite chilly until about 10, people were arriving wearing gloves it was so cool but it did warm up nicely. Sharon & Bob, across the street from us, had put an ad in the paper re the garage sale as they had a lot of stuff they hoped to get rid of and their ad sure brought in a lot of people from outside the park which helped us. We sold our lazy boy chair and towards the end we still had two bar stools left, plus some odds and ends when a gal came along and bought the bar stools. She had a friend with her who gave us a brochure for Helping Hands and she said if we wanted she would take away anything that was left over. The gal who bought the stools came back about 45 minutes later to pick them up and her friend took the few things we had left, so we were real happy to see everything gone & not having to deal with the leftovers.

We had a few good laughs out of people, John had two saw horses out for $1 each and a fellow came along and looked at them, thought his friend in Washington might like them and tried to call him to find out if he would like them, but couldn’t remember his phone number. Anyways, after much dithering about he decided to buy them – all of this for $2! Another lady was looking at the humidifier we had out, it is one that sits on the kitchen counter and the fellow we bought the house from needed it as he got nose bleeds from the dryness. Anyways, it was towards the end so John told the woman $0.25 for it and she still couldn’t make up her mind and ended up walking away. A couple of minutes later her husband came back to get it and asked me how much so I said $1, he said he though it was $0.25 but I said my price was $1 and he paid it, sometimes it doesn’t pay to procrastinate about things!! Another lady spent five minutes asking questions and dithering about a ceiling light, another item that was at that point going for $0.25, but she did buy it with our assurances that it worked and the only reason we were selling it was because we had replaced it with a track light. People like this made the morning fun!

Last week our friends Jim & Linda came over from Desert Hot Springs, California for a couple of days and we had a great visit with them. On Wednesday we went out to Lake Martinez to show them the lake and look around. There are some absolutely gorgeous homes out there and then there are some pretty tired looking places, a little bit of everything. We had lunch at a restaurant/bar there, Jim & Linda treated us to an awesome burger, an absolutely huge burger that serves 4 and was it ever good – thanks again guys.





We will have to go again sometime with another couple who would like to split a burger! After lunch we drove farther out from the lake to the National Wildlife Preserve and went through the visitor’s centre, then came back through the Dome Valley where it is all farmland, not something you expect to find in the desert.

We had a real cold snap here this week and the pool was even closed for 3 days. On Wednesday night/Thursday morning it went down to 28F and a lot of people had their plants killed by the frost and it looks like the trees got frostbite also. Wednesday and Thursday the temperature didn’t get much past the mid 50’sF during the day but it is now warming up again. I really won’t complain though as they had a rough weather week back home so our little cold snap wasn’t all that bad. On Wednesday afternoon we went downtown planning on seeing The King’s Speech at the theatre but when we got there the lineup was huge and it was cold and windy so we decided to wait and go another day, that day still hasn’t come but we will go soon.

This morning a fellow came from the insurance company to take pictures of the house and he was telling John that his brother lives in Tucson and because of the cold weather they have run out of natural gas, now that would not be nice! I was just checking the Tucson News and it seems like there were about 15,000 homes that lost their gas supply and now Southwest Gas must turn off all the meters in the service area, then repressurize its system before turning all those meters on again. Workers have to enter each home to turn customers’ meters back on and can only do that when someone is home and they expect they won’t get them all back on until Tuesday, wow, what a mess that is.

Yesterday when John was out for his bike ride he saw a Giant bike for sale in the area he calls Little Mexico, so when he came back he took the truck over to check it out and came back with a new, to him, bike for $25. It is in good shape but sure needs to be cleaned up so I know how he will be spending his time for the next while. He loves doing stuff like that so is in his glory and will end up having a nice bike when he’s done.

Time to get some lunch then head out to fight the crowds at the grocery store.

And so ends more great gifts of days and we look forward to more good days to come.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

It has been a week since I posted a blog so I am doing a bit better with my updates. It is hard to write when there isn’t much to write about, it is not as exciting being in one place as it is being on the road and seeing new places and discovering new things.

I haven’t been doing a lot as my back has still been sore, one day it seems to be a bit better then the next day worse again – very frustrating, but yesterday I went for a massage and today it is much better so I have my fingers crossed that it is on the mend now.

Last Tuesday I finally talked to my brother in Australia on Skype and thankfully they are fine and not affected with the flooding, I certainly was relieved to hear that. I watched a video of some of the flooding in Brisbane and it was incredible to see how quickly the water rose and washed cars away, and a friend sent us pictures of some of the rail lines north of Brisbane and what the water had done to them. I certainly feel sorry for all the people affected by it.

The last week has been pretty quiet, John has been looking for a new grill but so far he hasn’t decided on anything; I have given up going out to look with him as it is frustrating watching him hem and haw about them. He is the one who uses it so it is his decision what he wants, just wish he would decide!

We are looking at shades for the new patio area as it is too sunny without them, John was out looking yesterday and is waiting for a call from someone to come out and give us a quote.

Yesterday when I got home from my massage just as I came in the back door there was a knock at the front and it was Bob across the road saying to come over for a drink, I said it sounded good but didn’t know where John was, turns out he was already there. I went over and they had a few other people there so it was nice to meet new people and visit, a very nice time.

I had an e-mail from Larry T. asking how we decided to come to Yuma so thought that I would put a bit about that in my blog. For some reason I have always wanted to visit Arizona but being the uninformed Canuck that I am thought that all of Airzona was warm (hot even) in the winter – NOT!

We left London ON on January 1st, 2006 heading for our first visit to Arizona. We had gone to London on Dec. 30th and moved into our new Airstream with plans to leave on the 31st but is was snowing pretty good that day so decided to wait until the 1st. On the 2nd of January it was 70F going through Indianapolis but we did know that was unusual for that part of the country. The next night we stayed in Springfield MO and again it was nice weather, we even turned the water on in the trailer.

A few days later we arrived in Alburquerque NM and again the weather was beautiful, in the high 50’s and low 60’s during the day but cold at night (I just checked my diary and it went down to 21F one night) – brrrr! We spent a week there thinking this was usual for that part of the country but were told that it was an unseasonably warm winter, worked for us though as we enjoyed our time there and found it a very interesting city with lots to see and do. Even Sandia Peak, which is a huge ski area there was green instead of snow covered! Had we been there a year later we would have been buried in snow up to our ying yang, apparently a far more usual winter for that area!!

From there we headed south to Arizona with no particular destination in mind, but the night we stayed in Deming NM on the way to Arizona we had an e-mail from our friends in B.C. who said they were heading to Yuma and had just made a reservation there at Desert Paradise RV from Feb 6th to March 6th, so we called and managed to get a spot there also at the same time. That is how we found Yuma.

When we arrived in Arizona we stopped at Benson and stayed at a really nice park there, Cochise Terrace. We were there almost 3 weeks and really liked the park and area, we were about 45 minutes east of Tucson and within touring distance of Bisbee, a gorgeous old mining town, Douglas, Tombstone, Chiricahua National Monument, Coronado National Monument, etc. There was so much to see and do in the area but the big drawback was the weather – it is a higher elevation there so the temperatures didn’t get much above 60F during the day, and it got very cold at night, not warm enough to spend a winter! Boy, are we learning that all of Arizona isn’t the hot climate that we thought it was!

From there we spent a week at Gila Bend, out in the middle of nowhere between Casa Grande and Yuma, but did day trips into Phoenix, Aljo, another old mining town, Petroglyph Park, Organ Pipe Cactus National Park and other interesting sites.

We arrived in Yuma in early February and really liked it, the weather was warm and sunny every day!! Yuma has the most sunlight of any place in the states and great temperatures, it isn’t as hot as Florida or the Rio Grand Valley in Texas but it isn’t humid, there are no bugs here and overall the weather seems to be more consistent day to day. One evening we did a dinner cruise on Lake Martinez and our friend Janet put it perfectly when she said she never imagined being on a lake in the middle of winter, in the middle of a desert and enjoying such beautiful weather and a gorgeous sunset.

We ended up staying here until late March, then went to Lake Havasu area for a week, then to Kingman for 5 days and then on to Williams for about 10 days. From Williams we did the Grand Canyon a couple of days, went to Sedona, did a steam train ride through the Verde Canyon and visited lots of ancient Indian pueblos – a fascinating area. The only problem with that area is the weather, our first morning in Williams around the 8th of April we got up to find the park covered in snow! Fortunately it was gone by mid day and after that the weather was beautiful. After that we spent a few days touring the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest before leaving Arizona to head home.

We have found Arizona to be a fascinating state, it has so many different faces and so much to enjoy. Not being big city fans we have no desire to spend time in the Phoenix area but would like to spend a few days there sometime to do the Apache Trail and other interesting things in the area. We did spend a couple of weeks in Casa Grande the next year on the way to Yuma so did see some of the Phoenix area from there. We also spent a week in Tucson a couple of years ago but prefer the smaller cities with less congestion.

So that is how we found Yuma and why we keep coming back. Our next problem was finding a park we like, we spent two winters at Desert Paradise RV park but found the sites very small and tight, it was built before trailers had slides, and there was a huge issue with trains as the rail line is just north of the park and there is a level crossing there. It is a very busy rail line with lots of trains and the trailer would literally shake when they went by and the whistles from the crossing were extremely annoying, especially the second winter there. The next two years we spent at Del Pueblo, which was far away from the trains but south of the marine/air base so lots of air traffic, but at least they moved faster than the trains! We didn’t find the park very friendly so last year decided to try Mountain Cactus Ranch and really like it. Again, the rail line isn’t far away, but farther than at Desert Paradise so the trains aren’t an issue, the people in the park are very friendly and the lots are huge, we have never seen a park in this area with lots this big. So this is where we are and we are really enjoying it.

We just had the fellow from Time Warner here checking out the internet and he seems to think our wireless router is the problem – great!! Guess we will have to get out and look for a new one as we need wireless with all our electronics that need the internet.

I think I have rambled on enough for one day so will go and get some work done.

And so ends more great gifts of days and we look forward to more good days to come.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

I didn’t realize that is has been so long since I did a posting, where oh where does the time go! Last week was my sister-in-law Carol and our son-in-law Carls’ birthdays so a belated happy birthday to both of you and hope you both had a gooder!

My back is still sore so I am trying not to do so much but that is hard to do when there is always something beckoning at me to get done. We have accomplished quite a bit since the beginning of the year – the brick wall across the back, the wall at the front expanded and the patio enlarged has been done and we are very pleased with the result.

John's New Grilling Area


Expanded Patio Area


Expanded Front Wall


I found a rocker/recliner exactly like we have in the cottage so am happy to have a real comfortable chair again. We have found a new futon mattress, now we are waiting for it to come in and are hoping it will be here in the next week or two. I found a comforter set and matching valance for the bedroom and am real happy with them and think they look really nice.

John has been busy, and as always, he seems to have lots of projects to keep him busy and out of trouble. He is enjoying his morning bike rides with the guys and most days there are 5 or 6 of them who go.

Last Tuesday we went to see True Grit and quite enjoyed it, the young lady who played Maddie certainly did a fantastic acting job. We went to Chilli’s after for dinner and it was very good.

Thursday night we went to the spagetti dinner here in the park and it was delicious and the price was certainly right at $4/person. They had such a good turnout the cooking people didn’t get any spagetti as they had run out of food by the time they got to eat – not good! The only problem we have with the park dinners is that they are so early, at least for us, at 5 p.m. and everyone just eats and runs, not much socializing done except with those near you during the meal.

Sunday we went to Daybreakers’s for brunch and it was good but I think we will go back to Brownie’s Café next time as it is equally as good and a bit cheaper.

Today was the monthly ladies luncheon so I went to that and had a good time. Everyone brings either a salad or desert and it was surprising how much variety there was. They had a trivia game after lunch and at the end draws for prizes and I won the final prize of a very pretty Cyclamen plant, it looks real nice on the kitchen windowsill.

Today is cool with a north wind but it is supposed to be quite warm by the end of the week, I don’t care if it is cool as long as we don’t get snow! Another snow storm has hit in the east, there sure have been lots of snow storms this winter. I have been watching the weather in Australia and the flooding is horrendous, I am hoping to talk to my brother on Skype and see how they are doing, hopefully they aren’t being flooded but it looks like there is a good sized lake and dam near them so don’t know how they are faring – they live on the Gold Coast and aren’t far from Brisbane.

And so ends more great gifts of days and we look forward to more good days to come.

Happy New Year

Tis the end of another year and my they do seem to fly by very quickly – remember all the dire predictions for New Years day 2000, sure seems like a long time ago now and of course none of the terrible things happened.

The 80th birthday party we went to last week was fun but the weather didn’t co-operate, it was cool and rainy but fortunately we were out of the rain on the covered patio and just dressed warmly. Corrie served a fabulous turkey dinner with all the trimmings – very yummy!

On Christmas Eve we entertained our first dinner guests in our new home, the meal was good and we had a great evening with Diane & Ben.

Christmas day was nice and Santa was very good to us, we just had a relaxing day until it was time to go out for dinner. Our Christmas dinner was a disappointment, there were 11 of us and the company was great but the meal and service left something to be desired - Ed sent his steak back because he couldn’t even cut it. John also had the steak and said it wasn’t very tender but wasn’t as bad as Ed’s. I had prime rib but had to ask for the onion rings that were supposed to come with it, no one got them at our table until I asked. For sure we won’t be going back there again! That’s twice this year we have gone out for special meals and have been disappointed – our Thanksgiving dinner in Kincardine was not what we expected but again the company was good so that helped make the evening not a total waste.

This week has been busy but nothing too exciting. On Tuesday our daughter Nancy had the family Christmas dinner at her place so we talked to everyone on Skype, it was fun to see them all and chat with them, we wish we could have been there but sure like the weather here better!

There seems to be lots to do around here so I am sure we won’t be bored for a while. When we moved in here there were 8 locks on the two set of doors and keys galore, John has replaced all the door handles and we are now down to 4 locks, and one key does them all – sure is nice not having to try to figure what key works what lock!

I went to aquafit on Monday but passed on Wednesday because it looked like it was going to pour rain, turned out it didn’t start raining until about 11:30 so I could have gone.

Yesterday John put an extra shelf in the pantry and in the cupboard above the dryer for me, I don’t know why they make such large cupboards with only the floor in them and so much wasted space but it seems to be a fairly common thing. Yesterday afternoon I went out and got some baskets for the pantry and sorted out the food in there, now I should be able to see what I have and find what I want fairly easily – much nicer than it was.

I felt fine when I went out yesterday afternoon but came home with the worst backache I have ever had. This morning I woke up feeling nauseous and crappy so guess I have picked up the flu that is going around. My niece had the 24 hour flu the day before Christmas and my sister had it on Christmas day so I am hoping this is also a 24 hour bug and soon gone! We had planned on going to the show this afternoon and then out for dinner but that won’t be happening today if I don’t feel any better later.

Yesterday we had a major cold front come through and it is supposed to last for about a week, they are calling for highs in the high 50’s for the next week and lows near freezing. On Wednesday John went and put some anti freeze through the trailer just to be on the safe side. I heard they were calling for snow in the Phoenix area, hope they keep it there!

Kel sent me an e-mail this morning saying she doesn’t know what we are up to because I don’t blog every day now, but it is hard to write something every day when there isn’t anything happening, just the normal day to day stuff. I will try to do better and do a post a couple of times a week, but am not promising anything for sure.

We wish everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year and for those who are traveling, we wish you safe travels and, as Peggi says, never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly!

And so ends more great gifts of days and we look forward to more good days to come.

Merry Christmas

We are getting spoiled, yesterday we got a beautiful House Warming floral arrangement from our kids and their families – many thanks, it really brightens up the kitchen!


We are into our third cloudy day, what’s with that! Monday was just overcast but yesterday we had some rain and today have had more rain. I was able to go to the pool for aquatics this morning before the rain started and it wasn’t too bad but it has really cooled down since then. I guess we won’t complain though as long as we don’t get the rain like California is getting.

We think we are at a point where we feel like this is home now, there is still a lot of stuff to do. but it is becoming ours. John got a quote on extending our patio and putting the wall across the back, from the Mexicans who do a lot of the brickwork in the park, so we will get that done early in the new year.

This afternoon we are going to an 80th birthday party & dinner, I am sure Corrie isn’t too happy with the rain and cold as she was probably planning on having it outside.

I finally have some pictures to post and I’m sure there will be more later.
Kitchen

Living Room & Kitchen from Front Door

Kitchen & Living Room from Back Door

Living Room

Looking in from Front Door

Looking to Back with Laundry Area on Right


Larry, I have put an e-mail link on my blog if you would like to e-mail me, I would love to chat with you. I also welcome e-mails from other readers.

In case I don’t do another post until after Christmas, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe holiday season.

And so ends more great gifts of days and we look forward to more good days to come.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Wow, this has been a very busy week and not one I would like to repeat too often. On Monday we went to Arizona Power to have the electric account switched over to our name on the 15th. We weren’t sure what hoops we would have to go through to have that done but it was real easy, they did a credit check while we stood there and we had the account set up and were out the door in less than 10 minutes, great.

Our next stop was the insurance place where the previous owners had their insurance, we got a quote from them then went to Wal Mart, in the same plaza, to pick up some stuff. Then it was off to J C Penny’s to check out their sale on towels, etc. I can’t remember where else we went but it was a day of running around.

On Tuesday we went to an insurance place here in the Foothills for an insurance quote and ended up going with them as the quotes were pretty well the same and at least this place is closer. We know other people who have their insurance through them and are happy with them so here’s hoping they are okay, and even better, that we never have to make a claim. Again, the rest of the day was a blur.

Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. we met Stan & Jackie, the folks we bought from, at the DTO office to sign over the ownership, at a cost of $7.00. They wanted to stop at the house to finish a couple of things but as we pulled into the trailer they stopped and handed us the keys, so we came right down here. John decided to go for his morning ride with the guys and while he did that I emptied out the kitchen cupboards and washed them out so I could start moving my stuff.

The last 3 days are a blur of moving, cleaning, more cleaning and on Thursday shopping for stuff we needed. On Thursday we checked out the storage area again and realized there was no way we were going to get the trailer in to the spot we had been assigned so it was off looking for another spot. We checked a place that had no spots left but had a storage area in the Foothills (where we are) and had a spot there. It was too late to check it out on Thursday but John went out first thing on Friday morning and took it as it is the only spot they have left. It is in a secure area so hopefully there won’t be any problems.

Yesterday we finally got the trailer emptied and the fridge washed out and turned off so now it is ready to head for storage on Monday morning.

I started this Saturday morning and it is now Monday morning so I am going to quickly finish this off and get it posted.

Saturday and Sunday were more days of cleaning and picking up things we need. John spent about 3 hours on Saturday cleaning one bathroom and then about 3 hours yesterday cleaning the other one. We bought new towel racks so he has one installed and a couple more to go, as well as a new toilet paper holder in my bathroom as the current one is under the towel rack, hence, hidden by the towel.

Yesterday I vacuumed the front deck and moved a lot of furniture down to the patio, it now looks a lot cleaner and less congested. The back deck is a total disaster but we have stuffed piled up on it for the garage sale as well as an exercise bike. So much of the stuff in here that we don’t want is just plain junk but there are a few things that can go in the garage sale. We sure have been giving the garbage dumpster here a good work out.

I didn’t get to the pool at all last week so am off this morning, John only got in two bike rides last week so he is off this morning for his ride. Today we are moving the trailer into storage so don’t know how much will get done in here today.

My sister and niece sent us a beautiful Christmas floral arrangement and it looks, and smells so nice sitting on the coffee table. Again, many thanks Pat and Serita.

Larry, yes I do go to the Hair Loft so say hi back to Jean & Kim and I hope Kim hasn’t had too many bad drives with the weather.

I hope to post some pictures in the next couple of days.

And so ends more great gifts of days and we look forward to more good days to come.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Another week has flown by and me thinks it is time to catch up on the blog.

Last week I had an e-mail from a gal who is a writer for Airstream Magazine and Airstream's newsletter saying she would like to interview us about our travels and our Airstream so that interview happened on Monday morning – hopefully it will come out okay and I didn’t sound like a real dufus! Becky was really nice and easy to talk to so I think it went okay.

Last Sunday we went to Brownie’s Café for breakfast then checked out the new market. The existing Arizona market was taken over last year by new owners, there have been a lot of changes, one of those changes being a lot of vendors who haven’t returned this year. We had heard that a lot of them have gone to the old Mervyn’s store so we decided to check it out, and there are quite a few of them there now but the prices have increased with their new location (I suspect they are paying more for rent now). We wandered around but didn’t open our wallets as there was nothing we really needed. We have also heard that some of them went to the swap meet near the airport so will have to check that out some time also.

Wednesday I finally made it to my first aquafit of the season and really enjoyed it, I went again today so hopefully will make it most of the time for the rest of the time we are here. Now that Liz, the leader, is back and the weather is warmer it will be busy, I will have to get there early to get a spot!

Wednesday afternoon we stopped and bought a new mattress so that is done, it will be delivered on the 16th so for sure we will be sleeping in our new place on Thursday night!
Yesterday we did a trip to Mexico, I had e-mailed and made a dental appointment so we went early enough to shop for glasses before heading for the dentist. We ended up buying 2 pairs of glasses each, John got two pair of reading glasses and I got a new pair of glasses plus a pair of polarized sun glasses, total for four pairs $520 – how can you go wrong as I couldn’t buy one pair for that price at home. We both got free eye exams and he told me the same as the optometrist at home had told me last summer about the change in one eye so I know I am getting the right prescription. By the time we got through at the dentist – we both had our teeth cleaned but had to wait a while for our appointments, our glasses were ready so we got them fitted and headed out. John bought me a nice curio cabinet for our new house and we bought a litre of Kaluha for $8.50 plus John bought a new belt and I got a purse. We waited about 10 minutes to clear customs, so all in all it was a good morning.

We stopped at Wal Mart on the way home and did something we haven’t done in years, we got lunch at McDonald’s; we were both starving and it was handy so we broke down and did lunch there. After picking up a few groceries we finally made it home for a quiet rest of the day.

The weather this week has been wonderful, hot and sunny during the day but cooling off enough at night to make it nice for sleeping, what more could we ask for!

Today we were invited to a surprise 80th birthday party on the 22nd for one of our new neighbours, should be fun.

There was a nice sunset tonight and I took a picture of the Christmas lights on the trailer across from us.


Once we get moved in I will take pictures of our new place and post them. I think next week will be busy so I don’t imagine I will do a post until next weekend, but hopefully by then I will have some pictures.

And so ends more great gifts of days and we look forward to more good days to come.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Another week has just sped by, why does the time seem to go so fast!

We have had a busy, exciting week – we have bought a manufactured home here at Mountain Cactus Ranch.




Last winter we looked around but didn’t find anything that we liked and that we felt was well priced but that changed on Monday. I had noticed a new “For Sale” sign on the weekend and the house looked really nice and the price was right so we called on Monday and asked if we could see it. When we walked in we knew this was it, if we were ever going to buy something, as it is in immaculate condition. It has a nice lay out with the master bedroom and bath in the back and the second bedroom and bathroom in the front, with the kitchen and living room in the middle and it also has a washer & dryer, and there is tons of storage space. We have room for company if anyone wants to come and visit! All the furniture is included, including the patio furniture, as well as a new 36” Sony flat screen TV. They have bikes they are leaving so John is happy that he will have a regular bike to ride rather than his fold up one. The house faces east so the south side gets the morning sun, there are decks on both sides and Jackie and Stan (the owners) say that in the late spring the deck on the north side is nice as it is cooler there.

We thought about it all day Tuesday and on Wednesday morning went back and took another look then made them an offer, done deal! We take possession on Dec. 15th so are really excited. The only thing I want to do right away is a new mattress so we went looking on Thursday and found what we want so it will be delivered on the 16th. Of course the other challenge was finding storage for the Airstream for the winter but that is now also looked after, it will be in covered storage for the rest of the winter but we now have to decide what we are going to do about it as it is too much of an asset just to use to travel back and forth in the spring and fall, but that is something to worry about when we get home in the spring.

On Tuesday night we went to friends for happy hour and were telling them we had looked at the house, and as they have a home here we asked them a lot of questions and they were very helpful in helping us make a decision. On Wednesday we stopped to tell them we had bought it, and thank them again for their help. In the spring we had asked them if we could store my golf clubs in their shed for the summer so on Wed. I asked them if we could leave them at their place until we move and have our own shed to put them in. The look on their faces was hilarious, apparently they had no idea who belonged to the golf clubs and had been asking everyone they knew if they had put them there, Ben had gone through the pockets to see if there was any ID but had only determined they belonged to a lady, so we solved their dilemma.

On Thursday morning when John went for his bike ride his fellow riders already knew we had bought the house, guess Stan had been talking to a few of them and even the guy from another park knew – sheesh, how news travels!!

Yesterday when I went for a walk I stopped to chat for a couple of minutes with people we know from Alberta who will be our neighbours a few doors down and they asked us to join them for Christmas dinner, there will be about 14 of us going to a local hotel for dinner. They went last year and said it was good so it should be fun.

Yesterday we were out for a bit and on the way home stopped to take a couple of pictures of our new house and while I was taking the pictures the lady across the street came out and asked if we were the new owners. She seemed very nice and friendly, that is what we like about this park, most of the people are really friendly.

Yesterday I did laundry and for some unknown reason decided to try the laundry at the end of the road rather than driving over to the one I usually go to, boy was that a mistake. When I went in it didn’t look too bad but by the time I was ready to dry there were only 2 dryers available so had to wait to dry the 3rd load and the whole place wasn’t nearly as nice or as clean as where I usually go so next time I will go back to the original place. Boy, I can’t wait to have my own washer and dryer!!!

We have had a bit of cooler weather this week but it has started to warm up again although today is quite overcast. I haven’t started the aquafit yet as it has been too cool in the morning but hopefully it will start up soon and be warmer in the morning. Liz, the gal who led them last year, has just come back and I was talking to her the other day and she is hoping to get started again in the next week or so but like me she said it has been too cool in the morning to get excited about it.

And so ends more great gifts of days and we look forward to another good tomorrow.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Another few days have flown by, I don’t know where the time goes but it does seem to fly by really quickly.

On Wednesday the guys were here shortly after 8:30 to wash the trailer and truck and my, what a difference it makes as they sure were dirty! After they finished John started polishing and he now has both the truck & trailer all polished and shiny – have to put on sunglasses to look at them!!! As I said to a friend in an e-mail, John is like the energizer bunny – he just keeps on going - I sure do wish he would pass some of that energy on to me!!

Yesterday was American Thanksgiving, we are lucky that we get to celebrate two Thanksgivings, our Canadian one in October and the American one in November. There was a dinner at the park but we didn’t go, somehow I just can’t get excited about eating a large meal at 2 in the afternoon so instead we cooked our own little turkey with all the trimmings.

Yesterday was quite cold and windy so I didn’t venture far and John only did polishing where he could be in the sun. Today was much nicer but still a bit on the cool side, however, we aren’t getting freezing temperatures and snow or rain so I am not complaining.

This morning I did laundry, I am trying to get on a Thursday schedule but wasn’t sure if the laundromat would be open yesterday so waited until today to do it. It turns out it was open yesterday, but not staffed. Late this afternoon we went to Fry’s and picked up a couple of groceries then got a pizza from Da Boyz for dinner.

Tomorrow is my sisters birthday, happy early birthday Pat. She and a friend are going to Quebec for a week and leaving early tomorrow morning so I called her a while ago to wish her a happy birthday as well as a happy holiday.

We have nothing planned for the weekend, I will probably bury my nose in a book and relax.

And so ends more great gifts of days and we look forward to another good tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

There hasn’t been much happening to write about. On Sunday the temperature took a dive and although it was sunny we only had a high of about 63F (16C), a bit cooler than normal. I don’t like temperatures in the 80’s so I would rather have the cooler weather than hot and humid.

Kel, Tim and Cara had a good trip to Ottawa and didn’t get the snow that was forecast so had a good drive back and forth, I was glad to hear from her that the trip was fine.

Our friends on Vancouver Island sent us a couple of pictures of all the snow they are having there – glad it’s them and not us! You guys should hurry up and come south where there isn’t any snow!!

Vegetables Growing in the Yuma Area


On Sunday we stopped to see our friends from Calgary, it was nice to catch up with them again. They are in another park so we don’t see them too often but it is nice to catch up once in a while.

We have been out doing a bit of shopping, we went to Marshall’s and John got a pair of Clark shoes for $29 and I got a pair of Naturalizers for $25, how can you argue with those prices! I have been looking for a new vacuum, I bought a Dirt Devil Featherlite last fall and didn’t like it at all, I felt like all it was doing was blowing the dirt around. Today I found what I was looking for, a Shark Navigator, it has had really good reviews so here’s hoping it is a lot better.

The showerhead started leaking this morning when I had my shower so that was another thing on the list – seems like there is always something!

I went out this morning and got my bar bells for the pool exercises so am now all ready to go. I am not sure if I will get there on Friday as we might go to Mexico that day to see about glasses and the dentist.

Tomorrow we get the truck and trailer washed and they sure do need it – they are totally filthy.

Our Home at Mountain Cactus Ranch



And so ends more great gifts of days and we look forward to another good tomorrow.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

I guess I missed doing a posting yesterday, probably because there isn’t really anything exciting to write about.

Yesterday was cleaning day and I am happy to say we are now nice and clean for a couple more days but it doesn’t take long before it needs to be done again.

John went out and did some running around looking for bits and pieces but I opted not to go – Lowe’s, Home Depot etc. aren’t high on my shopping places!

Today I did three loads of laundry so that is caught up again for a bit, I want to try to get on a Thursday as laundry day routine so hopefully that will work out. The laundromat has put in a lot of new machines so hopefully when it is busy machines will still be available. After the laundry we stopped at Fry’s and picked up a few groceries then it was home again.

This morning before we went out to do laundry we noticed our friend Diane was across the road at Betty’s so we went over to say hi. During the conversation we mentioned that we were surprised the couple from Gravenhurst weren’t here yet as they left about the same time we did. Later, when we got back, Betty came over to tell John that she had just heard that Marvin had had medical problems when they were in Laughlin and they had to go home, not a nice thing to hear. Hopefully he will be okay but don’t know if they will be able to return this winter.

The fellow whose shed John had stored his bike in last spring hasn’t arrived yet either, but fortunately he gave John a key to the shed so John got his bike out this afternoon and it is now ready to get some use. John has missed his bike rides since leaving Kincardine and is looking forward to getting in the groove again. I hope to start water aerobics next week, have to find some water bar bells first so hopefully I can get them on Monday.

This afternoon I did the same as yesterday after I finished cleaning – I sat outside with a good book and enjoyed the sun and warm temperatures.

As you can see it has been a couple of quiet days, just the way we like.

Our daughter Kelly and her husband and daughter were going to Ottawa today to see our grandson who is going to University of Ottawa. Looking at the weather they could be in for a bit of snow so hope they have a safe trip. Our granddaughter is hoping to go to the U of O next fall so they were going down so her brother could giver her a tour of the university.

And so ends another two great gifts of days and we look forward to another good tomorrow.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

The weather today was wonderful, sure hope it lasts!

This morning we headed over to Time Warner to pick up the internet modem, when arrived there were a lot of cars parked so we figured it was really busy but much to our surprise, and pleasure, it wasn’t the least bit busy so we were in and out in record time.

Our next stop was Wal Mart, I wanted to get a pedicure, hair cut and pick up the rest of the groceries. While I was doing that John went to where he gets his hair cut and then when he got back to Wally World he noticed that the TV we bought two weeks ago was $50 cheaper, drat. But, to make a long story short, he got a refund of $54.70 so we are happy campers. Due to all the running around re the haircut and TV John never did get to wander around the store at all but I am sure he will find lots of opportunity to do that over the next four months!

By the time we got home it was almost 4 p.m. so too late to get into any major projects today, guess I will just have to wait until tomorrow to start cleaning. Everything is totally filthy so tomorrow will be the day to make the inside at least look nice and clean and shiny again.

And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another good tomorrow.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

We have arrived at our winter home in Yuma – hooray! We arrived here about 2:15 p.m. and were glad to see the end of the road days, the trip here was 4120 km (2559 miles) so we have covered a lot of ground!

Today’s drive was good and we got 15.1 miles/U.S. gallon, not too shabby, especially considering the last two days we were driving right into the wind so were only getting around 10.5 miles/U.S. gallon. The drive through Tucson was good but I am always glad to get through there, it is so stretched out and takes a long time to get through. We waved to Bob & Denise as we passed Casa Grande, would have loved to stop and say hello but at that point we just wanted to get to Yuma. At least we had a nice visit, although brief, when they stopped to see us in Waterloo at the end of October.

Picacho Peak Near Casa Grande


Cotton Fields


A Double Dome


Lots of Saguaros


Looking Down the Road


We saw this trailer at a park in Gila Bend today and think it is the same one we were parked beside a couple of years ago in Alamogordo (I don't imagine there are too many trailers like it around!)


Once we got set up we sat outside and enjoyed the warmth and sun along with an icy cold beer. Around 5:30 we headed over to Fry’s to pick up a few groceries then picked up a pizza for dinner at Da Boyz Pizza – it was really yummy!

Tomorrow we have lots to do but number 1 will be picking up a modem from Time Warner so we can get the Road Runner internet set up and working.

And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another good tomorrow.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Today was another gorgeous day with a high of 72F (21C), it was nice to be able to wear capris and a short sleeve top again.

We had a good drive from Alamogordo to Benson, AZ and are now at Cochise Terrace RV Resort. We have stayed here a few times and it is a nice resort but I forgot that the internet is Tengointernet, not a freebie, I just checked it out and it appears that we can get a 4 hour freebie to try it out so will wait until after dinner to try it as I don’t want to waste time between now and after dinner.

White Sands Outside of Alamogordo


And We Crossed into Arizona


Usually the sunsets here are stunning so I am hoping we will get a nice one tonight, it seems kind of hazy looking out so I’m not sure what that will do for the sunset.

The trailer is disgustingly dirty, we will have to arrange to have the Mexicans wash the trailer and truck as soon as possible! The first couple of days will be busy getting organized, I need to do a major grocery shopping, we both need haircuts and I need a pedicure. And of course, first and foremost is a trip to Time Warner to pick up the parts for internet while we are in Yuma.

And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another good tomorrow.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Today was another nice day but windy, fortunately the Airstream isn’t a high profile RV so the wind doesn’t really bother us or knock us around.

We took I-40 from Tucumcari to Santa Rosa, then picked up Highway 54 south to Almagordo. Highway 54 was good most of the way but there was about a 100 km (60 miles) stretch where it wasn’t real great and no shoulders. There was very little traffic so that was a help during the rougher part.

Driving Through New Mexico







We were going to stay at Edgington RV Park in Alamagordo, it is a Passport America Park and we had stayed there two years ago and it was quite nice but when we got there it was pretty well full. We had passed the Boot Hill RV Resort a couple of miles back so turned around and went back there, a good move, as it is a really nice park and for one night we got the PA rate of $13.25 – how good it that!! There is free wi-fi here and long pull thrus, a really nice park.

Boot Hill RV Resort


We are back in the part of the country we love with mountains, mesas and lots of nothing for miles. The mountains here are really pretty tonight with the sun and shadows and blue sky interspersed with dark clouds, very pretty!

The high today was 58F (14C) and tomorrow is supposed to be sunny, warmer and no wind, how good is that!

Tonight I will make dinner inside, linguine with Alfredo sauce and shrimp, that way we don’t have to worry about trying to grill in the wind. Another quiet evening is in store, and probably an early evening, as again we are tired after another travel day.

And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another good tomorrow.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Today was another travel day and we traveled through four states on Highway 54 starting in Kansas, then Oklahoma, Texas and ending up for the night in Tucumcari NM. The morning started out drizzly but after about a half hour the sun was out and it was sunny, but cool, the rest of the day. The high today was 51F (10C) but it was pleasant in the sun.

Highway 54 was busy through Kansas but the traffic thinned out considerably when we got into Oklahoma but lots of transports. As Al of the Bayfield Bunch said, you have to keep those tires rolling along here. The day was mostly driving through the plains and we saw 6 or 7 very long trains and a couple of huge feed lots – could smell them long before seeing them!!

We saw a lot of these trucks running the railway tracks


Driving Through the Plains




We arrived at Mountain Road RV Park in Tucumcari about 3:30, having lost an hour when entering New Mexico – we are now on Mountain Time so 2 hours behind home. I decided to do a load of laundry when we got here so that I wouldn’t have to be running out to do laundry as soon as we get to Yuma. This is an okay park for overnight, the site is just barely long enough for us not to have to unhook. Certainly no “it” factor here, but for an overnight it is fine.

While the load was washing I came back and vacuumed and dusted then went back and stayed until it was dry. There were two other couples in there and in chatting it turned out the one fellow had a birthday today – he is 87 years old and still driving a See Ya Motorhome – good for him!

John grilled steak for dinner – yummy. I don’t know why but driving days are always so tiring, and I don’t even do the driving! Anyways, it will be an early night for us.

And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another good tomorrow.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

We didn’t get a real early start this morning as it was too cold to want to get going! John finally started getting us hooked up around 9:15 and then he went over to get propane but they owners were out until 10, so we waited for them to return so we could get our empty tank filled. So, by the time we got on the road it was about 10:30.

Crossing the Missouri River - Again


We had a good drive today, went around Kansas City and picked up I-35 to Emporium KS where we picked up the Kansas toll road. We took the toll road to Witchita, about 100 miles, and it cost us $12.25 – YIKES, a three axle trailer is expensive on those darn toll roads and bridges!! The trip through Witchita was great and we arrived at Pratt KS around 5 p.m.

We are at the Evergreen Motel & RV Park, not the greatest place but it has full hookups and free wi-fi so at least we check our e-mail and surf the net. There is no cable TV and the antenna is only picking up one channel so we are limited in what we can watch, but that doesn’t bother me at all as I’m not a great TV fan anyways. The park is full which surprised us until we realized they are all hunters, guess this hunting season and this is a good area for hunting.

No pictures today, not a lot of interesting scenery - lots of farmland.

And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another good tomorrow.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Today was as forecast, a wet miserable day and much cooler. John was off this morning to get the differential oil changed and it turned out to be an effort in frustration before it was finished. When they said it was ready he got in the truck and found there were 3 quarts of oil left over, seeing as it takes 8 quarts and that is what he had bought it took him a while to convince them that it wasn’t filled and to get it back up and recheck the dip stick – guess what it wasn’t full!! They then put in the rest of the oil and he got out of there but not before he was pretty ticked off, it sure leaves you hoping you never have to return to this dealer for work again.

I had a very quiet day, reading and on the computer – not very exciting.

Tonight we went to Applebee’s for dinner – very good and it was nice not to have to cook. We were seated at a table beside a couple with 4 very small children, between the ages of 1 and 4 I would guess, and we couldn’t believe how well behaved they were, I told the parents that when they were leaving.

And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another good tomorrow.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Today is Remembrance Day and we remember those who fought to give us freedom.

Today is also John’s sister Barb’s birthday, happy birthday Barb and we hope you enjoy your dinner with friends tonight.

Today was much cooler with a high of 53F (11C) but it was mostly sunny so not a bad day at all.

Independence MO is the hometown of Harry S. Truman and his home is a National Site so we thought we would drive down and check it out. We had toured the National Site in Johnson City TX for LBJ and found it very interesting so we were hoping to find the same for Truman – NOT! We went to the National Site office and were told that we could get a tour of the house at 4:30, the last one of the day, so we passed on that as it was only 11:30 when we got there. They had a video that we watched and what a disappointment, the video barely recognized that he was President of the United States, except to say he missed his home when he had to be in Washington, and it was all about the house he lived in. There was no mention of any of the things he accomplished while President or what the world was going through at the time – extremely disappointing!

We drove around a bit but Independence seemed like it has seen better days although we did see this church and the spire was really different – we think it is a Mormon Church. Also there were some pretty trees with their leaves still on and we saw one really nice looking hold home.

Church Spire


Pretty Older Home


Missouri River at Independence MO


Casino On Missouri River


Back in St. Joseph we did a bit of shopping then came home, not a real exciting day but nevertheless an enjoyable one. The rain has started and tomorrow is supposed to be cool and rainy – oh joy! Fortunately tonight’s dinner was left overs so John didn’t have to go out in the rain to grill.

And so ends another great gift of a day and we look forward to another good tomorrow.